Bible Study Fellowship Privacy Policy

Last Modified: November 17, 2026

Welcome to Bible Study Fellowship (BSF)! We are delighted to have you join our community dedicated to exploring God’s Word, whether you’re connecting through our websites, mobile applications, participating in one of our BSF Groups, applying to be an employee or volunteer for BSF, or serving as an employee or volunteer of BSF.

This privacy policy (“Policy”) describes the types of information that Bible Study Fellowship (“BSF”) may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit one of our websites, which may include the following domains and any subdomains: bsfinternational.org, mybsf.org, bsfonline.org, wordgo.org (collectively, the “BSF Sites”), or access or use any of our applications, mobile applications, software, services, or platforms, BSF Online, WordGo, the WordGo app, and the BSF App (collectively, the “BSF Applications”), or through registration or attendance at one of our BSF classes or groups (the “BSF Groups”), and explains BSF’s practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information. This Policy applies to information collected when you communicate directly with BSF (e.g., by email, electronic text/sms, WhatsApp, web forms, in writing, submitting physical forms, etc.). If you apply for a job or a volunteer position at BSF, the attached Job Applicant and Volunteer Privacy Addendum also applies to you and to information BSF may collect from you if you apply to work or volunteer at BSF.

By using any of the BSF Sites or BSF Applications, any of the services provided on the BSF Sites or BSF Applications, participating in a BSF Group, applying for a job or volunteer position at BSF, volunteering for BSF, serving as a BSF employee, or otherwise communicating with BSF, you acknowledge that you have read and understand this Policy. If you do not agree to the terms of this Policy, then you should not use the BSF Sites, BSF Applications, participate in a BSF Group, or provide information to BSF. This Policy may change from time to time, as described more fully in the "Changes to This Policy" section below. If these changes are material, BSF will provide notice to you (by email to you at the last email address you provided to us, or by posting notice of such changes on the Sites) and, where required by applicable law, BSF will obtain your consent.

If you are applying for an employment or volunteer role with BSF, this Policy is provided to you for information and your application is not conditioned on your agreement to it. Further information about how your information is used is in the Job Applicant and Volunteer Privacy Addendum. Other applicable laws may apply concerning information you provide to us while serving as an employee of BSF.

Information BSF May Collect About You

BSF may collect Personal Information and Non-Personal Information from you when you use a BSF Site or BSF Application or communicate directly with BSF.

• “Personal Information” is information that identifies you personally, which may include your name, mailing address, e-mail address, IP address, device id, telephone number, credit card/banking information, age, gender, marital status, occupation, religious affiliation, church denomination, relatives names and ages, social media handles, immigration information, or any other information by which you may be personally identified or which is otherwise designated as personal information under applicable law where you reside.

• “Non-Personal Information” is information that does not identify you personally, such as your operating system, browser type, your internet connection, the URL of the previous website you visited, the equipment you use to access a Site, device information (e.g., device year, device platform), application data (e.g., study answers, study notes, study discussions, prayer requests if anonymized and not sufficiently personal, session id, app settings, language settings, bible version), time zone location, and details about how you use a Site.

This Policy refers to Personal Information and Non-Personal Information collectively as “Information.”

• “Sensitive Information” is Personal Information that falls into specific categories as defined under applicable law. It may be necessary in some circumstances for BSF to collect Sensitive Information about you to facilitate your voluntary participation in BSF. Examples of the types of Sensitive Information that BSF may collect include your gender, religious beliefs or affiliation, health information related to any special accommodations you may require, or social security number, driver's license number, or other identification number you provide to BSF when you apply for an employment or volunteer position with BSF. This Policy’s terms regarding International Transfers and Storage and Data Security also apply to your Sensitive Information. Except as otherwise set forth, references to privacy practices with respect to Personal Information or Information include Sensitive Information collected by BSF.

Additional information may be collected from or about you if you apply for an employment or volunteer role at BSF, as further described in the Job Applicant and Volunteer Privacy Addendum.

How BSF Collects Your Information

BSF may collect Information about you (1) when you register for, or participate in, a BSF Group, (2) automatically through BSF Sites and BSF Applications and/or (3) when you otherwise provide it to BSF.

Information You Provide to BSF

You may provide BSF with your Information at various times when accessing any of the BSF Sites and BSF Applications, participating in a BSF Group, or communicating with BSF, including when you:

• Register or create an account on a BSF Site and/or BSF Application;

• Register for a BSF Group;

• Use a BSF Site;

• Use a BSF Application;

• Fill out physical or electronic forms;

• Complete transactions on a BSF Site and/or BSF Application, including making donations;

• Request additional services or information from BSF;

• Report a problem with any of the BSF Sites or BSF Applications;

• Apply for an employment or volunteer role with BSF;

• Serve as an employee or volunteer for BSF;

• Attend a BSF Group; or

• Contact BSF.

While certain types of Sensitive Information may be implied by the collection of other Personal information, BSF collects Sensitive Information directly from you through one or more of the above channels. BSF does not maintain Sensitive Information not collected directly from you. BSF collects Sensitive Information if you provide your consent to BSF or, absent your consent, and unless prohibited by applicable law, when (a) the processing of such information is done in the course of BSF’s legitimate activities in connection with its religious aim, (b) the processing relates solely to regular contact you have with BSF in connection with BSF’s legitimate activities, such as your attendance at a BSF class or group, (c) for purposes relating to your employment or volunteer role at BSF (if applicable), or (d) for purposes relating to your application for employment or a volunteer role at BSF (if applicable), as further described in the Job Applicant and Volunteer Privacy Addendum. The Sensitive Information is not disclosed outside of BSF without your consent.

Information BSF Collects Automatically

BSF may automatically collect Information when you visit a BSF Site or use a BSF Application, as well as what pages are viewed on a particular BSF Site. The Information BSF collects automatically helps BSF to improve the BSF Site and to deliver a better and more personalized service to BSF Site users, including recognizing you when you return to a BSF Site, and storing your BSF Site-specific preferences.

BSF may use some of the following tools to automatically collect information about your interactions with a BSF site:

BSF may work with third-party service providers to automatically collect Non-Personal Information. Except as otherwise described in this Policy, BSF does not permit these third-party service providers to keep or use your Information for purposes other than the services they provide to BSF.

Dealing with BSF Anonymously or using a Pseudonym

It may be possible to contact BSF to make a general inquiry about the types of services BSF offers without providing Personal Information. While local law may provide you the right to seek to deal with BSF anonymously or using a pseudonym, if you choose to participate in one of our Bible Study classes, it would be impracticable to provide those services to you if you do not supply BSF with at least some Personal Information.

How BSF Uses Your Information

BSF processes your Information based on your consent, to fulfill its obligations under contract, for compliance with a legal obligation, or based on BSF’s legitimate interests. BSF’s legitimate interests may include maintenance of BSF Sites and Applications, to fulfill our obligations as an employer, managing our communications with you, managing, growing, and expanding BSF’s services, and managing BSF’s service providers and business.

BSF may use the Information it collects about you in order to:

• Make the BSF Sites and BSF Applications, their contents, and functionality available to you, including interactive features on the BSF Sites and BSF Applications;

• Provide you with information, products, or services that you request from BSF;

• Provide you with information, messages and services that may be of interest to you;

• Allow you to participate/engage with BSF’s activities, including managing communications with you and enabling your participation in BSF Groups;

• Administer BSF’s activities, including improving BSF’s activities, products, and services;

• Process donations;

• Provide you with notices about your account;

• Notify you about changes to the BSF Sites, BSF Applications, or any additional services BSF may offer or provide through them;

• Enforce BSF’s Terms of Use or other policies, including for billing and collection purposes;

• Manage the BSF Sites and BSF Applications, including addressing technical problems with and improving the BSF Sites, BSF Application, and BSF’s services;

• Fulfill any other purpose described at the time you provided the Information, or, as appropriate, where you consented to the purpose;

• Prevent, detect, mitigate and investigate fraud, security breaches and activities that are or potentially may be prohibited or illegal;

• To perform a contract to which you are a party (if applicable);

• To take steps to enter into a contract with you (if applicable);

• For purposes necessary to your employment with BSF (if applicable);

• For purposes necessary to your volunteer role at BSF (if applicable);

• Comply with legal processes and as BSF believes is required or appropriate under applicable law to respond to requests from government authorities;

• As further described in the Job Applicant and Volunteer Privacy Addendum; or

• Respond to questions, comments, complaints, or requests.

How BSF Discloses Your Information

Disclosures of Personal Information and Sensitive Information

BSF discloses your Information and Sensitive Information based on your consent to receive the services or access the Sites, to fulfill its obligations under contract, for compliance with a legal obligation, or based on BSF’s legitimate interests, including as listed in the section “How BSF uses your Information.” BSF may disclose Personal Information to our related organizations, to our contractors and service providers, including accountants, auditors, attorneys, tax advisors, insurance brokers, payment processing providers, printing and mailing companies, email delivery providers, security vendors, background screening companies (if applicable and as further described in the Job Applicant and Volunteer Privacy Addendum), data analytics providers, human resources information systems, payroll providers, hosting providers, information technology vendors, BSF staff, contracted consultants, class leaders, volunteers, or other third parties BSF engages to provide services on our behalf  (collectively, our “Service Providers”), and to governmental, judicial, law enforcement, or other legal authorities, only if required by law. These third parties use Personal Information and Sensitive Information only for the purposes for which BSF discloses it to them.

BSF may disclose Personal Information and Sensitive Information in the following ways:

• To manage communications with you, to enable participation in BSF Groups, and to otherwise provide our services to you;

• To manage and maintain our Sites, including website hosting;

• For any other purpose disclosed by BSF when you provide the Information, or for which you agree BSF may disclose your Personal Information;

• To provide BSF with information technology services;

• To process payroll (if applicable);

• To provide human resources services to you (if applicable);

• To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request;

• To enforce or apply BSF’s Terms of Use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes; 

• As further described in the Job Applicant and Volunteer Privacy Addendum (if applicable); or

• If BSF believes disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of BSF or its affiliates and subsidiaries, members, participants, or others.

BSF only discloses your Sensitive Information for purposes that are directly related to the reason you provided BSF with such Sensitive Information in the first place and where you would reasonably expect BSF to disclose such information. BSF will not disclose your Sensitive Information for any other purpose without your consent unless BSF is legally required to disclose it, or BSF believes disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of BSF or its affiliates and subsidiaries, members, participants, others, or you.

Disclosures of Non-Personal Information

BSF may disclose aggregated and anonymized information about its users and Non-Personal Information that does not identify any individual without restriction. Anonymous information is information that does not relate to an identified or identifiable natural person or to personal data rendered anonymous in such a manner that the data subject is not or no longer identifiable.

Third Party Sites and Platforms

BSF, BSF Applications, or BSF Sites may suggest, use, link to, or be linked to, other websites and software platforms not maintained by or related to BSF to facilitate the provision of services or to fulfill its obligations to you. BSF does not control the privacy policies or data collection practices of such third parties and their third party tools, third party websites, or third party software platforms (“Third Party Sites”). BSF encourages you to carefully review the privacy policies of any Third Party Sites before disclosing your Information or consenting to the use of such Third Party Site.

You may be able to create an account or log in to a BSF Site using your social media account (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google) through a Single Sign On (“SSO”) process. This allows BSF to confirm your identity and may give BSF access to certain Information that you have authorized your social media account to share with BSF. Your social media platforms have their own data handling procedures and privacy policies. BSF does not control these policies. You should review the privacy policies of your social media platforms to fully understand how they store, use, and share your Personal Information. If you use your social media account to log in to a Site, BSF will only use the Information it receives for the purpose of supporting SSO and does not collect any Personal Information via the SSO process.

Certain features in certain BSF Applications including but not limited to the WordGo App may ask you to provide your phonebook or contact list information. Your contacts’ email addresses will not leave your device. Matching is done in a way that prevents BSF servers from seeing the email addresses. BSF may use information from your phonebook or contact list to match you with other BSF app users, including but not limited to WordGo users, that you already know from your contact list in order for you to create a group invite within the app.

Your Rights

BSF takes reasonable steps to ensure the Information collected is accurate, up-to-date, and complete. As provided under applicable law, you may have the right, free of charge, to:

• Withdraw your consent to the processing of your Personal Information or Sensitive Information;

• Request access to, or a copy of, your Personal Information, in a structured, machine-readable format for the purposes of data portability;

• Request correction of the Personal Information BSF holds about you;

• Request that BSF delete or remove any Personal Information it has about you where there is no legitimate reason for BSF to retain or process such information. You also have the right to ask BSF to delete or remove your Personal Information where you have exercised your right to object to processing such Personal Information (see below);

• Object to use of any Personal Information in automated decision-making and profiling;

• Object to or request a restriction to processing; and

• File a complaint with the relevant authority in your jurisdiction.

If you would like to exercise any of your rights above, please contact BSF using the contact information provided at the end of this Policy.

BSF may not accommodate a request to change Information if BSF believes the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the Information to be incorrect.

BSF will respond to such a request within thirty (30) days, but depending on the nature of the request, may extend that period up to an additional two (2) months if necessary. BSF may take reasonable steps to confirm the identity of the requestor prior to providing the response. Only to the extent permitted under applicable law, BSF may charge a reasonable fee for administrative costs associated with a request. The request will be handled free of charge as required by law unless BSF reasonably determines the request is excessive or repetitive.

How Long BSF Keeps Your Information

BSF will only hold your Personal Information for as long as is necessary for the relevant activity, as required by law, or as set out in any other agreement BSF may have with you. To determine the appropriate retention period for Personal Information, BSF considers the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the Personal Information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorized use or disclosure of your Personal Information, the purposes for which BSF processes your Personal Information and whether BSF can achieve those purposes through other means, as well as applicable legal requirements. At a minimum, BSF maintains your Information for as long as you maintain your account. Specific retention periods for job applicant and prospective volunteer information are set out in the Job Applicant and Volunteer Privacy Addendum below.

International Transfers and Storage

BSF is headquartered in Texas, with facilities and offices outside of the U.S. If you reside outside of the U.S., please be aware that, for the purposes enumerated, including administering BSF’s activities, BSF does transfer and store Personal Information in the United States. BSF will only transfer Personal Information outside the country in which you reside where adequate technical and organizational safeguards are in place to ensure that any Personal Information transferred remains secure and is protected. Where UK or EU data protection laws require safeguards for such a transfer, BSF relies on an appropriate transfer mechanism which, depending on the recipient and the circumstances, may be UK adequacy regulations or an EU adequacy decision, the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where the relevant recipient is certified, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, and carries out a transfer risk or transfer impact assessment where one is required. For more information about transfers of your Personal Information, please contact BSF using the contact information provided at the end of this Policy.

Data Security

While the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure, BSF has appropriate technical and organizational measures in place to keep your Personal Information secure. BSF cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Information outside of these appropriate measures. You understand that you are providing your Personal Information to BSF at your own risk. BSF is not responsible for failure or circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures BSF may have in place to protect your Personal Information. In accordance with applicable law, the relevant regulatory authority and the affected data subjects, will be notified in the event of a data breach, if the breach is deemed notifiable by BSF.

Minors

BSF Sites and BSF Applications Not for Use by Minors

The BSF Sites and BSF Applications are not intended for use by minors. For purposes of this Policy, a minor is a child under the age in which your jurisdiction recognizes the ability of a child to consent. BSF does not knowingly collect Personal Information from minors without the prior express and informed consent of the child’s parent or guardian in compliance with applicable law. If you are under 18 (or are not otherwise of the age of adulthood or majority where you live), you may not use any BSF Site or BSF Application or provide any information on any BSF Site or BSF Application, except with the permission of a parent or legal guardian who registers you for a BSF Group in accordance with the "Registration for BSF Groups" section below.

Registration for BSF Groups

BSF does not allow children to attend a BSF Group without registration. To register a child for a BSF Group, BSF may collect contact information, such as name, birth date, address, and gender; health information, such as allergies; parent contact information; and emergency contact information through a registration form directly from the parent or legal guardian of the child(ren) being registered. The Personal Information collected through the registration form is used to facilitate the child’s participation in the BSF Group and for the purposes noted herein.

Other than health information necessary to assist the child in an emergency, BSF does not collect Sensitive Information of children. BSF does not sell the Personal Information collected through the registration form for children.

Rights Applicable to Personal Information of Minors

The rights applicable to Personal Information as described in this Policy apply to the Personal Information of minors. In particular, a parent or legal guardian has the right to withdraw consent for the processing of the Personal Information of a child at any time. In limited circumstances, BSF may need to retain a minor's Personal Information in connection with an allegation or incident involving the minor.

If BSF learns that it has collected or received Personal Information from a minor without verification of parental consent, BSF will delete that information. If you believe BSF might have any information from or about a minor, please contact BSF using the contact information provided at the end of this Policy.

Once a minor reaches the age of digital majority (which varies by jurisdiction), the minor's information may be maintained by BSF in accordance with this Policy. Minors have the right to revoke consent to process their Personal Information provided by their parent or guardian when they reach the age of digital majority. When a user reaches the age of digital majority, BSF may require the user to register for a new account to continue accessing the BSF Sites and BSF Applications. When a user turns 18, the user will be required to register for a new account to continue accessing the BSF Sites and BSF Applications.

Job Applicants and Volunteers

The Job Applicant and Volunteer Privacy Addendum applies to individuals who apply for an employment or volunteer role with BSF. It supplements the rest of this Policy and prevails to the extent of any inconsistency with the Policy.

Changes to This Policy

From time to time, BSF may change this Policy to accommodate new technologies, industry practices, regulatory requirements or for other purposes. If these changes are material BSF will provide notice to you (by email to you at the last email address you provided to us, or by posting notice of such changes on the Sites) and, where required by applicable law, BSF will obtain your consent. The date this Policy was last revised is listed at the top of the page. You are responsible for ensuring that BSF has an up-to-date active and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting the Sites and this Policy to check for any changes.

Contact Information

To ask questions, inquire about your rights, comment about this Policy or BSF’s privacy practices, or to make a complaint contact BSF at:

Bible Study Fellowship
PO Box 675241
Dallas, TX 75267-5241
Privacy@bsfinternational.org
210.492.4676

Our EU Representative:

Under Article 27 of the GDPR, we have appointed an EU Representative to act as our data protection agent. Our nominated EU Representative is:

Instant EU GDPR Representative Ltd.
Adam Brogden contact@gdprlocal.com
Tel +35315549700
INSTANT EU GDPR REPRESENTATIVE LTD
Office 2,
12A Lower Main Street, Lucan Co. Dublin
K78 X5P8
Ireland

Our UK Representative:

Under Article 27 of the UK GDPR, we have appointed a UK Representative to act as our data protection agent. Our nominated UK Representative is: GDPR Local Ltd.

Adam Brogden contact@gdprlocal.com
Tel +44 1772 217800
1st Floor Front Suite
27-29 North Street, Brighton
England

You may also lodge a complaint by contacting the data protection agency in the jurisdiction where you reside.

Job Applicant and Volunteer Privacy Addendum

Job Applicants and Volunteers

This addendum applies to individuals who apply for an employment or volunteer role with BSF. It supplements the rest of this Policy and prevails to the extent of any inconsistency with it. It does not describe how BSF processes information about employees and volunteers after appointment, which is addressed separately.

Who is responsible for your information

The data controller for the processing described in this section is BSF International (UK) Limited (Companies House SC205638; Scottish charity SC029980), registered office C/O Shepherd and Wedderburn, 37 Albyn Place, Aberdeen, AB10 1YN. You may contact BSF about this section by email at Privacy@bsfinternational.org. BSF’s representatives are identified under “Contact Information” at the end of this Policy.

When this section applies

This section applies when you apply for a job or volunteer role with BSF; provide a CV or other application information; take part in interviews or recruitment assessments; provide references or other supporting information; or progress to a stage of the employment or volunteer review process requiring background screening. It applies whether you apply directly through a BSF Site or recruitment system or through an authorized recruitment partner.

Information BSF collects about applicants

When you apply for a role, BSF may collect your name, postal address, email address and telephone number; your CV; your employment and volunteer history; your education, qualifications and professional experience; skills and experience relevant to the role; information you provide in an application form or during an interview or assessment; referee details; and any other information you choose to provide in support of your application. BSF seeks to collect only information that is necessary and relevant to the recruitment or volunteer-selection process.

If your application progresses to a stage at which screening is required, BSF or its appointed screening provider may need additional information, which, depending on the role, may include your date of birth, previous names, current and previous addresses, identity documentation, social security number, driver’s license number, nationality and right-to-work information, employment and education history, references, professional qualifications or registrations, criminal-record or disclosure information, safeguarding or barred-list information, and financial information relevant to the role. Some of this information may be considered Sensitive Information.

Information about people other than you

Where you provide contact details or other personal information for another individual, such as a nominated referee, an emergency contact, or a family member you would like BSF to contact in connection with your application, BSF processes that information for the specific purpose for which you provided it. BSF’s lawful basis is BSF’s legitimate interests in taking up references and being able to reach a suitable point of contact, under Article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR. BSF asks that you tell those individuals that you have shared their details with BSF and how to contact BSF if they wish to exercise their rights under data protection law.

Background screening

BSF does not require background screening when an application is first submitted. BSF does not screen every candidate as a matter of routine: screening is carried out only where it is proportionate to an identified risk and to the requirements of the particular role. If your application progresses to screening, BSF will give its appointed background-screening provider enough identity and contact information for the provider to contact you, and the provider will then explain directly what further information is required. At that point you will be given the identity of the screening provider, access to its privacy notice, and a separate notice setting out the screening arrangements in detail. That notice will explain what information is needed, why the screening is being carried out, who will have access to the information, the processes that will be used, how long the information will be kept, the stage of the process at which the information will be assessed and, so far as practicable, the third-party sources that will be relied on. Depending on the role, screening may include identity, address-history, employment, education and reference verification, right-to-work verification, criminal-record and safeguarding checks, and financial checks proportionate to the role.

Criminal-record and safeguarding checks

For all roles, and only where appropriate to the role and legally permitted, BSF employs a third party that carries out criminal-record checks in accordance with local law.

Where appropriate to the role and legally permitted, screening may involve:

• England and Wales

  • Checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) at the legally appropriate level for the role.

• Scotland

  • Checks through Disclosure Scotland, including the relevant disclosure or Protecting Vulnerable Groups (“PVG”) arrangements where applicable.

• Northern Ireland

  • Checks through AccessNI at the legally appropriate level for the role.

The information made available to BSF may differ depending upon the jurisdiction, type of check and screening provider used.

BSF may receive:

• confirmation that a check has been completed;

• a screening outcome or assessment;

• confirmation of whether relevant screening requirements have been satisfied;

• information requiring review by BSF; or

• more detailed disclosure information where BSF is legally entitled and has a legitimate need to receive it.

The existence of criminal-record information will not automatically determine the outcome of an application unless a legal restriction or safeguarding requirement prevents the individual from undertaking the relevant role.

Where BSF is able to exercise discretion, relevant information will be considered in the context of the role and the associated risks and responsibilities.

Criminal-offense data

Criminal-record and related information is subject to Article 10 of the UK GDPR and the additional requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018. BSF processes criminal-offense data only where an appropriate Article 6 lawful basis applies, the processing is authorized by UK law, an applicable condition under Schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act 2018 has been identified, and the processing is necessary and proportionate. Depending on the screening activity, the relevant Schedule 1 conditions may include those relating to employment, social security and social protection; preventing or detecting unlawful acts; preventing fraud; safeguarding children; and safeguarding individuals at risk.

Financial checks

For certain roles, BSF may undertake proportionate financial checks where financial responsibility, access to assets, fraud risk or another characteristic of the role makes such checking appropriate. These checks may include relevant information concerning insolvency, bankruptcy, directorships, credit history or other financial-integrity information. BSF will not undertake financial screening merely because an individual has applied for a position; such checks are limited to circumstances where there is a documented, role-related purpose.

Special category information

Some information processed during recruitment attracts additional protection, for example information concerning health or disability where you request a reasonable adjustment, religious or philosophical beliefs where relevant to the application or role, and equality or diversity information where collected. BSF processes such information only where it is necessary and proportionate and an applicable condition under Article 9 of the UK GDPR or the EU GDPR has been identified, and will not use it for purposes incompatible with the reason for which it was collected. Where BSF collects equality or diversity information, providing it is optional, it is processed on the basis of your explicit consent, it is used only in anonymized or aggregated form for monitoring purposes, and it is not used to assess your application.

Where BSF obtains your information

BSF may obtain information directly from you, and from recruitment agencies and recruitment platforms, referees, former employers, education providers and professional bodies, BSF’s appointed background-screening provider, identity-verification services, credit-reference and fraud-prevention sources where relevant to the role, public registers and other lawful public sources, and government, regulatory or safeguarding authorities where appropriate.

BSF’s lawful bases

Depending on the particular processing activity, BSF relies on one or more of the following lawful bases for processing your Personal Information:

• taking steps at your request before entering into a contract, or performing a contract, under Article 6(1)(b);

• compliance with a legal obligation to which BSF is subject, under Article 6(1)(c);

• BSF’s legitimate interests under Article 6(1)(f) in recruiting and selecting suitable employees and volunteers, administering recruitment activities, communicating with candidates, verifying information supplied during recruitment, maintaining appropriate recruitment records, protecting BSF’s people, participants, information and assets, and ensuring the integrity and suitability of individuals appointed to positions of responsibility or trust. BSF has assessed these interests against the rights and freedoms of applicants and prospective volunteers;

• for United Kingdom roles only, a recognized legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(ea) of the UK GDPR, where the statutory conditions are met, for purposes such as safeguarding a vulnerable individual or detecting, investigating or preventing crime; and

• consent under Article 6(1)(a), which BSF uses only where the relevant processing is genuinely optional and you have a real choice whether to provide it. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing already carried out lawfully.

Whether you have to provide information

Some of the information BSF asks for is needed to assess your application, or is required by law or by the rules of a screening regime; the remainder is optional. BSF will tell you at the point of collection which information is required and which is optional. If you choose not to provide information that is required, BSF may be unable to progress or complete your application.

Who BSF shares your information with

BSF may share recruitment information with authorized BSF human resources, recruitment, hiring and volunteer-management personnel; relevant BSF affiliated organizations; recruitment agencies and recruitment platforms; background-screening providers; the Disclosure and Barring Service; Disclosure Scotland; AccessNI; identity-verification, credit-reference and fraud-prevention providers; referees, former employers and education providers; professional or regulatory bodies; government or safeguarding authorities; legal advisers, auditors and insurers; and human resources, information technology, hosting and administrative service providers. Access is limited to the information reasonably necessary for the recipient’s role and purpose. BSF uses the information it collects about you in order to: evaluate prospective job applicants, including for safety and security purposes; to evaluate prospective volunteers, including for safety and security purposes; to make employee recruitment decisions; to take steps prior to entering and to enter into contracts with job applicants; or for the reasons listed in BSF’s Privacy Policy.

A screening provider may act either as BSF’s processor, on BSF’s documented instructions, or as a separate controller where it has its own statutory or independent purposes and responsibilities. You will be told which applies when you are invited to begin screening. BSF does not sell applicant or prospective-volunteer information.

How BSF protects your information

BSF uses appropriate technical and organizational measures designed to protect recruitment and screening information against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, and unauthorized disclosure or access. These may include role-based access on a least-privilege basis, authentication and access controls, encryption in transit and at rest where appropriate, secure methods for transferring screening information, logging and monitoring, confidentiality obligations and staff training, supplier privacy and security due diligence, contractual privacy and information-security requirements, secure storage, and secure deletion and disposal. Access to detailed screening or criminal-record information is restricted to personnel with a legitimate need to receive it.

International transfers

BSF administers its recruitment activities centrally from the United States, so information you provide as an applicant may be transferred to, stored in and accessed from the United States. Where screening is required, limited information may be provided to a screening provider in the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area or elsewhere so that it can contact you and perform the required checks, and the results and other information necessary for BSF’s recruitment or appointment decision may be returned to authorized BSF personnel in the United States.

Where UK or EU data protection law requires safeguards for such a transfer, BSF will use an appropriate transfer mechanism. Depending on the recipient and the circumstances, this may be UK adequacy regulations or an EU adequacy decision, the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where the relevant recipient is certified, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. BSF will carry out the applicable transfer risk assessment or transfer impact assessment where one is required.

How long BSF keeps recruitment information

BSF keeps recruitment and screening information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, subject to applicable legal, regulatory, safeguarding and legal-claims requirements.

• Unsuccessful applicants and prospective volunteers: recruitment records ordinarily for up to 12 months after the recruitment or selection process is completed. BSF keeps these records for that period so that it can respond to questions about the process and consider, resolve or defend any complaint or legal claim arising from the recruitment decision.

• Successful applicants and volunteers: recruitment and screening records for the duration of the employment or volunteer relationship and for up to two years afterwards, unless a longer or shorter period is required for a particular category of information. This does not set the retention period for the wider employment or volunteer personnel record.

• Screening providers: where a provider acts as BSF’s processor, BSF requires personal information to be returned or securely deleted once the contracted processing is complete, unless retention is required by applicable law. Where a provider acts as a separate controller, its own retention requirements and privacy notice apply.

If BSF would like to keep your application on file so that it can contact you about a future opportunity, it will ask separately for your consent, tell you how long it proposes to keep the information, and keep it only for that period. You may withdraw that consent at any time.

Automated decision-making

BSF does not intend to make final recruitment or volunteer-appointment decisions solely by automated means where the decision produces legal or similarly significant effects. Technology and screening systems may assist in checking, collating or flagging information, but any material adverse decision is subject to appropriate human review.

Your rights and how to complain

The rights described under “Your Rights” above apply to the information BSF holds about you as an applicant or prospective volunteer, including access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, objection to processing based on legitimate interests, data portability where the legal conditions apply, withdrawal of consent where consent is relied on, and rights relating to qualifying automated decision-making. These rights are not absolute and may be limited where BSF has a lawful reason or legal obligation to continue processing.

Changes to This Policy

From time to time, BSF may change this Policy to accommodate new technologies, industry practices, regulatory requirements or for other purposes. If these changes are material BSF will provide notice to you (by email to you at the last email address you provided to us, or by posting notice of such changes on the Sites) and, where required by applicable law, BSF will obtain your consent. The date this Policy was last revised is listed at the top of the page. You are responsible for ensuring that BSF has an up-to-date active and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting the Sites and this Policy to check for any changes.

Contact Information

To ask questions, inquire about your rights, comment about this Policy or BSF’s privacy practices, or to make a complaint contact BSF at:

Bible Study Fellowship
PO Box 675241
Dallas, TX 75267-5241
Privacy@bsfinternational.org
210.492.4676

Our EU Representative:

Under Article 27 of the GDPR, we have appointed an EU Representative to act as our data protection agent. Our nominated EU Representative is:

Instant EU GDPR Representative Ltd.
Adam Brogden contact@gdprlocal.com
Tel +35315549700
INSTANT EU GDPR REPRESENTATIVE LTD
Office 2,
12A Lower Main Street, Lucan Co. Dublin
K78 X5P8
Ireland

Our UK Representative:

Under Article 27 of the UK GDPR, we have appointed a UK Representative to act as our data protection agent. Our nominated UK Representative is: GDPR Local Ltd.

Adam Brogden contact@gdprlocal.com
Tel +44 1772 217800
1st Floor Front Suite
27-29 North Street, Brighton
England

You may also lodge a complaint by contacting the data protection agency in the jurisdiction where you reside.