Privacy Policy
HAT Community Foundation
Last updated: 19 October 2026
1. Introduction
HAT Community Foundation (“HCF”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is an independent non-profit foundation advancing data rights, sovereignty and agency in the digital economy.
We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us, become a member or participate in our activities.
This policy applies to the HCF website at www.hatcommunity.org and to the Foundation’s general activities, including those conducted through HATLAB Studio. Individual research projects may have separate privacy notices.
2. Who We Are
HAT Community Foundation is a non-profit organisation established in the United Kingdom.
For personal data collected and processed for our own activities, HCF acts as a data controller under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Contact details
HAT Community Foundation
Hfl House 1, Saxon Way
Melbourn, Royston
England, SG8 6DN
Email: contact@hatcommunity.org
Website: https://www.hatcommunity.org
3. Information We Collect
We may collect the following personal information:
Contact information: Name, email address, organisation and information you provide when contacting us.
Membership information: Details provided when applying for or maintaining HCF membership, including membership status, subscription payments and payment records.
Event and programme information: Registration details and information relating to participation in courses, seminars, events and other HATLAB Studio activities.
Professional information: Details and correspondence voluntarily provided through collaborations and professional engagements.
Our website does not use cookies or cookie-based tracking technologies.
Research projects that require additional personal information will be governed by separate privacy notices explaining the information collected and how it will be used.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use personal information to:
Respond to enquiries and requests.
Process membership applications and payments.
Manage memberships and provide member services.
Organise events, educational programmes and collaborations.
Communicate about HCF activities, publications and opportunities.
Maintain organisational and financial records.
Meet legal and regulatory obligations.
Carry out our non-profit objectives in research, policy, education and governance.
We only use personal data where we have a lawful basis for doing so.
5. Our Legal Basis for Processing
Depending on the activity, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under UK GDPR:
Consent: Where you have agreed to receive optional communications or participate in activities requiring your consent.
Contract: Where processing is necessary to administer membership, process payments or provide services you have requested.
Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary to respond to enquiries, manage professional relationships, administer Foundation activities and advance our non-profit objectives, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Legal obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with applicable legal, accounting or regulatory requirements.
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
6. Sharing Your Information
We may share personal information with trusted service providers where necessary to carry out our activities, including:
Banking and payment service providers.
Website hosting, email and IT service providers.
Event and educational programme partners.
Professional advisers and regulatory authorities where legally required.
We require service providers acting on our behalf to protect personal information and use it only for authorised purposes.
We do not sell personal data to third parties.
Where personal information is shared with independent partners, we will ensure that an appropriate lawful basis and data protection arrangements are in place.
7. Our Role in the HAT Ecosystem
HCF provides independent constitutional guardianship and governance oversight for data wallet networks based on HAT® micro-server technologies.
Our governance roles include acting as Guardian Shareholder of Network Owners and, where applicable, Protector of Wallet Trust Deeds.
These responsibilities do not automatically mean that HCF collects, stores or controls personal data held within wallet networks.
Network Owners, Wallet Operators, technology providers and other participants, including TruSignal, Dataswyft and CheckD, have their own responsibilities for personal data processing under applicable law.
Where HCF processes personal information directly in carrying out its governance responsibilities, that processing will be subject to this Privacy Policy or a separate applicable privacy notice.
8. Membership Data and Retention
We retain membership information for the duration of an individual’s or organisation’s membership and for one year following termination, for administrative and audit purposes.
After this period, membership information will be securely deleted or anonymised unless a longer retention period is required by law, including applicable accounting, tax or regulatory requirements.
Other personal information is retained only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or to meet applicable legal obligations.
Individual research projects may establish their own retention periods, which will be explained in their respective privacy notices.
9. International Data Transfers
HCF works with researchers, organisations and collaborators internationally.
Where personal information is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate protections are in place in accordance with applicable data protection law, including relevant adequacy regulations or approved contractual safeguards where required.
10. Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
Access to personal information is restricted to authorised individuals and service providers who require it for legitimate purposes.
11. Your Data Protection Rights
Under applicable data protection law, you may have the right to:
Request access to your personal information.
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
Request deletion of your information in certain circumstances.
Request restriction of processing.
Object to certain processing activities.
Request portability of your information where applicable.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
You may object at any time to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.
To exercise your rights, please contact contact@hatcommunity.org.
You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
12. Research Projects
Research projects conducted through HCF or HATLAB Studio may involve different types of personal information and processing activities.
Where applicable, each project will provide its own privacy notice setting out the data collected, purposes of processing, lawful basis, sharing arrangements, retention periods and participants’ rights.
13. Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations.
We are not responsible for their privacy practices and encourage visitors to review their privacy policies.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our activities, legal requirements or data protection practices.
The latest version will be published on our website with its updated date.
15. Contact Us
For questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal information, please contact:
HAT Community Foundation
Hfl House 1, Saxon Way
Melbourn, Royston
England, SG8 6DN
Email: contact@hatcommunity.org
Website: https://www.hatcommunity.org