Documenting Gender Apartheid – Voices Archive
Last updated: 28/12/2025
1. Who we are
The Documenting Gender Apartheid – Voices Archive is an oral-history and documentation project that collects first-hand testimony about systems of gender apartheid.
For the purposes of data protection law, the project acts as the data controller for all personal data processed through this archive.
If you have questions about this policy or how your data is handled, you can contact us using the details provided on the project website.
2. Who this policy applies to
This policy applies to:
- people who submit recordings or other information to the archive,
- people who contact the project directly,
- people whose personal data is processed as part of the editorial or archival process.
Participation in the archive is limited to individuals aged 18 or over.
3. What personal data we collect
We collect only the minimum information necessary to operate the archive safely and ethically.
Depending on your choices, this may include:
Public-facing data (with consent)
- Video and/or audio recordings
- Transcripts and subtitles derived from recordings
- A display name (not required to be your real name)
- Topics, themes, or categories you choose to speak about
- Contextual information such as country, region, or language
Private data (not public)
- Contact details (such as an email address)
- Upload and session information needed to manage submissions
- Editorial notes related to safety, review, or verification
Your real name is not required and is never made public unless you explicitly choose to share it.
4. How we use your data
We process personal data in order to:
- collect and preserve oral testimony,
- review submissions for safety and ethical concerns,
- publish contributions publicly where consent is given,
- protect participants from harm or unintended exposure,
- maintain a historical archive,
- respond to participant requests or concerns.
We do not use participant data for advertising or commercial profiling.
5. Lawful bases for processing (GDPR)
We rely on the following lawful bases under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
Consent (Article 6(1)(a))
Used for:
- recording video and audio,
- publishing contributions publicly,
- sharing contributions through the archive website and project channels.
Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
Archiving in the public interest / historical research (Article 6(1)(e) and Article 89)
Used for:
- retaining contributions as part of a long-term historical archive,
- preserving withdrawn material in a closed, non-public archive.
This processing is subject to safeguards, including restricted access and removal from public view.
Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f))
Used for:
- retaining limited contact information,
- contacting participants if safety concerns arise,
- verifying or clarifying submissions,
- enabling reactivation of contributions if requested.
Our legitimate interests are balanced against participant rights and limited to ethical and safety-related purposes.
6. Review and publication
All submissions are reviewed before publication.
This review is carried out to:
- reduce the risk of identification or harm,
- ensure consent is clear and respected,
- identify content that may place a participant at risk.
We may contact you before publication if we believe this is necessary for your safety or to clarify consent.
7. Withdrawal from public view
You may withdraw your contribution from public view at any time.
When you withdraw:
- your profile and recordings are removed immediately from public access,
- your contribution is no longer published, cited, or reused publicly.
Withdrawal does not require a reason.
8. Retention after withdrawal
When a contribution is withdrawn from public view:
- it is retained privately within the archive,
- access is restricted to authorised project editors,
- it is not used or referred to publicly.
Private retention exists in order to:
- preserve a historical record,
- maintain ethical accountability,
- allow reactivation if you later choose to return,
- allow contact if a safety concern arises.
We do not sell, license, or otherwise disclose withdrawn material to third parties.
9. Licensing and ownership
Participants retain ownership of their recordings.
By consenting to participate, contributors grant the project a non-exclusive licence to:
- store and preserve their contribution,
- edit it for safety purposes (e.g. blurring),
- publish it publicly while consent remains active.
If consent is withdrawn, public use stops, but private archival retention continues as described above.
10. Data storage and security
- Data is stored on secure, EU-based infrastructure.
- Raw uploads and private data are never publicly accessible.
- Public media is served through controlled application routes.
- Access to private data is limited to authorised editors only.
- Technical and organisational measures are in place to prevent unauthorised access or data leakage.
11. Third-party services
We do not allow third-party advertising, tracking, or analytics to access private participant data.
Public pages may be shared by users on third-party platforms, but we do not control how those platforms store or display shared content.
Where content has been shared publicly and later withdrawn, we make reasonable efforts to request removal from third-party digital platforms, but cannot guarantee full removal outside our control.
12. Your rights under GDPR
You have the right to:
- request access to your personal data,
- request correction of inaccurate data,
- withdraw consent for public use,
- request restriction of processing,
- ask how your data is being stored and used.
In some cases, full deletion of data may not be possible due to archival and public-interest obligations, but your data will not be used publicly without consent.
13. Changes to this policy
This policy may be updated to reflect changes in law, technology, or project practice.
Significant changes will be communicated clearly on the project website.
14. Contact
If you have questions about privacy, data protection, or your rights, you may contact us at:
Email: contact@genderapartheid.no