Privacy Policy

First edition: 10 November 2023

Virtual Royal Netherlands Air Force (Reffered to as vRNLAF hereafter) complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR valid from May 2018) and with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA). The European Union does not have an independent law that addresses the protection of children’s data similar to the United States’ Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. Rather, it addresses the protection of children’s data throughout its General Data Protection Regulation by indicating which provisions within the GDPR warrant a higher standard to protect children’s data. Aside from a vagueness as to the requirements for parental consent, however, the GDPR’s provisions may still provide for as strong an application and thus as strong a protection of children’s data as COPPA.

Purpose of policy

This policy has been put in place to achieve the following aims: 

• To comply with the law, particularly the EU General Data Protection Regulation and with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA).
• To ensure good data protection practice 
• To protect members, staff, and other individuals
• To protect the vRNLAF

Age Limitation

Pilots must be a minimum 13 years of age in order to apply for membership and fly with the vRNLAF.

Personal Data we collect

vRNLAF collects the following personal data:

• Forename and Surname
• Birthday
• Email Addresses
• VATSIM ID
• IP Address
• Discord ID

Consent to collect data

We collect information from you when you register for the Virtual Special Operation Airline (Referred to as VSOA hereafter), register on our website, fill out a form, or submit any external information through a third-party application. When registering on our site, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter your name, e-mail address, age, etc. You may, however, visit our site anonymously. By applying to the vRNLAF and using our site and services, you are giving the vRNLAF permission to collect personal data that will only be used by the vRNLAF.

How we use the information we collect

vRNLAF uses your data for the purpose of conducting services offered by the vRNLAF such as but not limited to the participation as a vRNLAF pilot, pilot certifications, pilot advancements, access to Aircraft, scenery, and awards offered by the vRNLAF. Some of this data is also used in cookies. Cookies are small files that a site or its service provider transfers to your computer's hard drive through your web browser [if you allow this] that enables the site's or service provider's systems to recognise your browser and capture and remember certain information. We use cookies to understand and save your preferences for future visits (i.e. keep you logged into the website). Although the use of cookies in your web browser is not mandatory, they aid in allowing the web browser to remain logged into our website. We may also contact you via email with announcements of upcoming events, and important information related to the vRNLAF. Any of the information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways: 

• To maintain your status as an active pilot.
  • Your information helps us establish and update your profile, as well as keep track of your progress and hours while flying for the VSOA.
• To personalise your experience
  • Your information helps us to better respond to your individual needs. 
• To improve our website
  • We continually strive to improve our website offerings based on the information and feedback we receive from you.
• To improve our operations
  • Your information helps us to effectively streamline our operations.
• To administer a contest or promotion or run an event such as those conducted on the VATSIM network
• To send periodic emails
  • The e-mail address you provide may be used to send you information, respond to inquiries, and/or other requests or questions 

Data Retention

vRNLAF will not retain your data after you have been deleted from our Pilot Rosters. You may terminate your membership and therefore delete your data at any time by contacting us and requesting to terminate your vRNLAF account. 

Personal Information Distribution

We do not and never sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties any of your personally identifiable information. This does not include trusted third party software who assist us in operating our website or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce site policies, or protect ours or others rights, property, or safety.

Transparency and Choice

We will be transparent about our practices, so that you can make meaningful choices about how your personal information is used. If we make a material change, we will provide prominent notice by posting a notice on our service on this website page and/or we will notify you though our Forum, Discord server, or by email (if you have provided an email address to us).

Data Controller

User data collected by vRNLAF is managed by the vRNLAF management team. We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of our personal information when you enter, submit, or access your personal information. Please note that we cannot guarantee that any data transmission over the internet is completely secure. If we decide to change our privacy policy, an email will be sent to all vRNLAF members. Additionally, we will post notice about these changes on the portal and Discord Server.