Legal

Privacy Policy & Cookies

Last updated: 24 July 2026

The Partnership for Research Into Sentient Machines ("PRISM", "we", "us", or "our") is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in England and Wales (charity number 1184317) working to build the field of digital minds research and to prepare society for a future with conscious, or seemingly conscious, AI. We are committed to protecting your personal data and handling it responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights under data protection law. It applies to the PRISM website (prism-global.com) and all associated digital services.

Our contact details

If you have any questions about this policy or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us:

What personal information we collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect and process the following types of personal information:

Newsletter and mailing list information

  • Your name and email address when you subscribe to the PRISM newsletter or other updates.

Application and correspondence information

  • Information you provide when applying for a role, trustee position, or opportunity with PRISM — such as your name, email address, professional or academic affiliation, CV, and supporting statements.
  • Communications you send to us by email.

Event information

  • Information you provide when registering for events, workshops, or meetups we organise, including any accessibility or dietary requirements.

Website usage data

  • IP address, browser type, operating system, and pages visited.
  • Referral sources and time spent on pages.
  • Cookie and similar identifiers (see the Cookies section below). We only collect analytics data of this kind with your consent.

How we collect personal information

Most personal information we hold is provided to us directly when you subscribe to our newsletter, register for an event, apply for a role or trustee position, or contact us by email. In some circumstances we may receive information from third parties — for example, referees who support an application, or partner organisations in connection with joint activities. Website usage data is collected through cookies and similar technologies, with your consent.

How we use your personal information

We use personal information to:

  • Send the PRISM newsletter and other updates to subscribers.
  • Communicate with you about events, workshops, and meetups you have registered for or expressed interest in.
  • Assess and process applications for roles, trustee positions, and other opportunities.
  • Maintain contact records for researchers, collaborators, and individuals connected to PRISM's work.
  • Respond to enquiries and provide information about our research and activities.
  • Understand how visitors use our website and improve it.
  • Meet our legal and administrative obligations as a charity.

Lawful basis for processing

Under the UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases:

  • Consent — where you have given clear consent for a specific purpose (for example, subscribing to our newsletter, or allowing analytics cookies). You may withdraw consent at any time, using the unsubscribe link in any email we send or by contacting us.
  • Legitimate interests — where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests as a research and field-building charity (for example, maintaining professional contacts, responding to enquiries, and improving our website), provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.

Who we share your information with

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share it:

  • With third-party service providers who help us operate — for example, our email/newsletter platform (Mailchimp) and website analytics providers (Google) — who are bound by contractual obligations to protect your data.
  • With partner organisations involved in co-delivering PRISM events or programmes, where necessary.
  • With relevant authorities where we are legally required to do so.

How we store your personal information

Your personal information is stored securely. Newsletter subscriptions are managed through Mailchimp. We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, taking account of legal and administrative requirements. In general, newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion; event and application data is retained for around one year following the event or programme cycle; and website analytics data is retained in accordance with our analytics provider's retention settings. When information is no longer required, we delete or anonymise it securely.

Cookies

A cookie is a small text file placed on your device when you visit a website. Cookies help websites function and provide information about how visitors use the site.

When you first visit our website, you are asked whether to allow non-essential cookies via our cookie banner. No analytics or advertising cookies are set unless you accept them. You can change your choice at any time using the Cookie settings link in the footer.

Essential

  • Your cookie choice is remembered in your browser's local storage so the banner does not reappear on every visit. This is essential and does not require consent.

Analytics (only with your consent)

  • Google Analytics — _ga, _ga_* — help us understand how visitors use the site (pages visited, session duration). Data is aggregated. You can also opt out of Google Analytics across all sites at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Advertising (only with your consent)

  • Google Ads — _gcl_au — used to measure the effectiveness of our advertising.

Embedded podcast player

  • Our podcast episode pages include an embedded player from Buzzsprout, our podcast host, so you can listen without leaving the site. Buzzsprout may set cookies to enable playback and measure listens. See Buzzsprout's privacy policy for details.

Most browsers also let you block or delete cookies through their settings; disabling some cookies may affect how the website functions.

Links to other websites

Our website contains links to external websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites, and this policy does not apply to them. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any website you visit.

Your data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to: request a copy of the personal information we hold about you; ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information; request erasure of your information in certain circumstances; ask us to restrict or object to our processing; request your information in a portable format; and withdraw consent at any time where we rely on it. You will not normally be charged, and we will respond within one calendar month. To make a request, contact us at info@prism-global.com.

How to make a complaint

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first at info@prism-global.com. If you remain unhappy, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF · Helpline 0303 123 1113 · www.ico.org.uk.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. We encourage you to review it periodically.