Privacy Policy

Last updated: 1 August 2026

1. Introduction

Star Trek: Uncharted Course respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, where it may be stored, who may have access to it and the rights available to you under UK data-protection law.

This policy applies to:

  • visitors to the Star Trek: Uncharted Course website;
  • people who submit a crew application;
  • members of the project’s Discord community;
  • players who participate in live missions;
  • contributors who submit personal logs, joint posts or other creative material;
  • and anyone who contacts the Game Director.

The project currently accepts applications only from people aged 18 or over.

UK data protection is principally governed by the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Who Is Responsible for Your Information?

For the purposes of data-protection law, the data controller is:

Lee Tyers
Creator and Game Director
Star Trek: Uncharted Course

Email: game.director@startrekunchartedcourse.com

The data controller decides why and how personal information connected with the project is processed.

3. Information We May Collect

We collect only the information reasonably needed to operate the website, review applications, manage the community and publish the continuing story of the USS Navigator.

Website information

When you visit the website, the hosting platform or security systems may automatically record technical information such as:

  • your internet protocol address;
  • browser type and version;
  • device type;
  • operating system;
  • pages visited;
  • date and time of access;
  • referring website;
  • and technical or security events.

This information is normally collected through server logs, essential cookies or website-security tools.

Application information

When you apply to join the project, we may collect:

  • your name;
  • email address;
  • Discord username;
  • confirmation that you are aged 18 or over;
  • timezone;
  • usual availability;
  • preferred and alternative crew positions;
  • roleplaying or writing experience;
  • Star Trek interests;
  • character ideas;
  • proposed character name and rank;
  • reasons for applying;
  • answers relating to teamwork and collaborative participation;
  • consent confirmations;
  • and any additional information you voluntarily provide.

You do not need to provide a completed character biography when applying.

Community and membership information

If you are accepted into the project, we may also keep:

  • your approved character profile;
  • assigned position and rank;
  • attendance or absence records;
  • participation status;
  • leave-of-absence information;
  • relevant moderation or conduct records;
  • communications relating to your participation;
  • and administrative notes needed to manage the project.

Creative contributions

When you participate in the project, we may collect and publish:

  • in-character live-mission posts;
  • character dialogue and actions;
  • personal logs;
  • joint posts;
  • mission reports;
  • character biographies;
  • service records;
  • character portraits;
  • and other approved creative contributions.

Published creative material will normally identify you through your fictional character rather than your private legal identity.

Communications

If you contact the Game Director by email, Discord or through the website, we may retain:

  • your contact details;
  • the contents of your message;
  • the date and time of the communication;
  • and any response or follow-up required.

Sensitive or special-category information

We do not actively request information about your health, racial or ethnic origin, religion, sexuality, political opinions or other sensitive personal matters.

You may occasionally choose to provide information relating to accessibility, health or another sensitive matter so that reasonable support can be considered.

Such information should only be provided where relevant and voluntarily. Where required, we will ask for your explicit consent before processing it.

4. How We Collect Information

We may collect information:

  • directly from you through the application form;
  • when you contact the Game Director;
  • when you join or participate in the Discord community;
  • when you take part in a live mission;
  • when you submit creative writing or character information;
  • when you agree to appear in project artwork or promotional material;
  • and automatically through website hosting, security logs and essential technical systems.

We do not purchase personal information from data brokers.

5. Why We Use Your Information

We may use your personal information to:

  • receive and assess crew applications;
  • contact you about an application;
  • discuss or develop your character concept;
  • determine whether a role is suitable and available;
  • welcome accepted applicants into the community;
  • organise live missions and collaborative writing;
  • manage attendance and participation;
  • provide relevant project updates;
  • administer the Discord community;
  • respond to questions or concerns;
  • investigate reports of misconduct;
  • enforce the Community Standards;
  • maintain the security of the website and community;
  • prevent spam, abuse or fraudulent submissions;
  • maintain character and service records;
  • review and publish mission transcripts;
  • publish approved stories and character material;
  • preserve the project’s historical archive;
  • comply with legal obligations;
  • and establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.

6. Our Lawful Bases

Data-protection law requires us to identify a lawful basis for each use of personal information. You must be told which lawful basis applies to the processing of your information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following bases.

Consent

We rely on your consent where you:

  • agree to be contacted regarding your application;
  • consent to the storage of information submitted through the application form;
  • agree to the review and publication of in-character mission contributions;
  • submit creative material for publication;
  • provide optional sensitive or accessibility information;
  • or otherwise make a clear, voluntary choice about how your information may be used.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent by contacting the Game Director.

Withdrawal does not make earlier lawful processing invalid.

Legitimate interests

We may rely on legitimate interests where processing is reasonably necessary to:

  • administer the project;
  • assess applications;
  • organise missions;
  • maintain community records;
  • protect the website and Discord community;
  • respond to misconduct or safety concerns;
  • prevent misuse, spam or disruption;
  • communicate with active members;
  • and preserve an accurate administrative record.

Before relying on legitimate interests, we consider whether the processing is necessary and whether your rights and reasonable expectations outweigh the project’s interests.

Legal obligation

We may process or retain information where required to comply with applicable law, a court order or another binding legal requirement.

Establishing or defending legal claims

Information may be retained where reasonably necessary to investigate a serious complaint, respond to a dispute or establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

7. Providing Information Is Optional

Submitting an application is voluntary.

However, certain information is needed to assess your application and communicate with you. Fields marked as required must be completed before the form can be submitted.

Should you choose not to provide required information, we may be unable to review or progress your application.

Optional questions may be left unanswered.

8. How Application Decisions Are Made

Applications are reviewed by the Game Director.

Applications are not accepted or rejected solely through automated decision-making. No algorithm will make a final decision about your application without human review.

The review may take into account:

  • position availability;
  • your availability;
  • the suitability of your character concept;
  • your understanding of collaborative roleplay;
  • your approach to teamwork;
  • the balance of the existing crew;
  • and whether the project appears suitable for you.

The Game Director may contact you for clarification or suggest changes to a character or position before making a final decision.

9. Mission Transcripts and Creative Material

Live missions take place through designated Discord text channels.

In-character contributions from those channels may be:

  • recorded;
  • reviewed;
  • edited to remove accidental or out-of-character material;
  • formatted;
  • and published on the website as part of the permanent mission archive.

Published mission records may contain:

  • your character’s name;
  • your character’s dialogue and actions;
  • the mission date and stardate;
  • participating characters;
  • and related creative writing.

Your private email address, Discord username and legal identity will not normally be included in public mission transcripts.

Out-of-character Discord conversation is not intended for publication as part of the canonical archive.

Creative work already published as part of a collaborative mission may not always be capable of complete removal without damaging the contributions of other writers or the integrity of the archive. Requests will be considered fairly and case by case, taking into account your data-protection rights and the rights of other contributors.

10. Who May Access Your Information?

Personal application and membership information will normally be accessible only to:

  • the Game Director;
  • authorised project administrators where necessary;
  • website and form-service providers acting as data processors;
  • email-service providers;
  • website-hosting and security providers;
  • and Discord, where you choose to join and participate in the community.

Information may also be disclosed:

  • where you have given permission;
  • where required by law;
  • to investigate serious misconduct or a credible safety concern;
  • to protect the legal rights or safety of project members;
  • or to obtain professional legal or technical assistance.

We do not sell your personal information.

We do not provide applicant details to advertisers.

11. Third-Party Services

The project uses or may use third-party services to operate the website and community.

These may include:

WordPress

The website is built using WordPress. WordPress, installed themes and plugins may process technical information needed to display, secure and administer the site.

Fluent Forms

The application form is created using Fluent Forms. Submitted applications are stored within the WordPress website database and may be sent to the Game Director by email.

Discord

The project uses Discord for community communication and live text missions.

Information you provide directly to Discord is also governed by Discord’s own privacy terms and account settings. Discord may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Website hosting and email

The website host and email provider may process technical, account and message information in order to deliver their services.

Security and anti-spam services

Security, firewall, anti-spam or form-protection tools may process technical details such as IP addresses, browser information and submission patterns to identify abuse or automated traffic.

These service providers process information under their own terms, data-processing arrangements and security practices.

12. International Transfers

Some third-party services, including Discord, hosting infrastructure, email platforms or security providers, may process information in countries outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, appropriate safeguards should be used where required by law. These may include:

  • UK adequacy regulations;
  • approved contractual safeguards;
  • the UK International Data Transfer Agreement;
  • the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses;
  • or another legally recognised transfer mechanism.

You should review the privacy information supplied by any third-party platform you choose to use.

13. How Long We Keep Information

Personal information will not be kept for longer than reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

Unless a longer period is needed for a legal, safety or dispute-related reason, the following retention periods will normally apply.

Unsuccessful or withdrawn applications

Application information will normally be deleted within six months of the final decision or withdrawal.

This period allows time to respond to questions, complaints or requests for reconsideration.

Accepted applications

Information forming part of an accepted member’s personnel and administrative record may be retained throughout their active participation and for up to twelve months after they leave.

Contact enquiries

General enquiries and related correspondence will normally be deleted within twelve months after the matter has been resolved.

Community or moderation records

Minor administrative or moderation records will be retained only for as long as reasonably necessary.

Records relating to serious misconduct, safeguarding concerns, threats, harassment or legal disputes may be retained for longer where necessary to protect the community or respond to future claims.

Website security logs

Technical and security logs will normally be retained for a limited period determined by the website host or security provider.

Published creative material

Approved mission transcripts, character records, personal logs, joint posts and other published creative contributions may be retained as part of the project’s continuing historical archive.

Where personal information appears within archived material, requests for correction or removal will be considered individually.

Retention periods should be documented and reviewed rather than allowing information to be kept indefinitely without purpose.

14. Data Security

Reasonable technical and organisational measures will be used to protect personal information from:

  • unauthorised access;
  • accidental disclosure;
  • alteration;
  • loss;
  • destruction;
  • misuse;
  • and unlawful processing.

Measures may include:

  • password-protected administration accounts;
  • restricted access to applications;
  • secure website connections;
  • software and plugin updates;
  • spam and security protection;
  • controlled administrator permissions;
  • secure email accounts;
  • and regular review of stored information.

No internet-based service can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should avoid submitting unnecessary private or sensitive information through the application form or Discord.

Data protection should be considered throughout the design and operation of systems, rather than added only after information has been collected.

15. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The website may use cookies or similar technologies.

These may include:

Essential cookies

Essential cookies may be used to:

  • operate WordPress;
  • provide security;
  • remember administrative sessions;
  • process forms;
  • prevent spam;
  • and maintain basic website functionality.

Essential cookies do not normally require consent where they are strictly necessary for the requested service.

Optional cookies

Analytics, embedded media, advertising or other optional technologies should not be activated without the appropriate notice and consent where required.

Where optional cookies are introduced, the website will provide appropriate information and controls through a cookie notice or consent tool.

Further details may be provided in a separate Cookie Policy.

16. External Links and Embedded Content

The website may contain links to external websites or embedded material from third-party services.

External services may collect information about you, use cookies or track your interaction according to their own privacy policies.

Star Trek: Uncharted Course is not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third-party websites.

You should review the privacy information of any external service before providing personal information.

17. Your Data-Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis being used, you may have the right to:

  • be informed about how your information is used;
  • request access to personal information held about you;
  • ask for inaccurate information to be corrected;
  • ask for incomplete information to be completed;
  • request deletion of your information;
  • request restriction of processing;
  • object to certain processing;
  • request transfer of information in a portable format;
  • withdraw consent where consent is being relied upon;
  • and challenge certain decisions made entirely through automated processing.

Some rights are not absolute and may not apply in every situation. For example, the right to erasure applies only in certain circumstances.

To exercise a right, contact:

game.director@startrekunchartedcourse.com

We may need to confirm your identity before releasing, changing or deleting personal information.

We will normally respond within the period required by applicable data-protection law.

18. Withdrawing Consent

Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time by contacting the Game Director.

Withdrawal may affect your ability to:

  • continue an application;
  • participate in recorded live missions;
  • submit work for publication;
  • or remain in a role where publication is an essential part of participation.

Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that was lawful before the withdrawal.

19. Correcting Your Information

Please contact the Game Director when information connected with your application or membership changes.

Active players may also be asked periodically to review their character and contact information.

Reasonable steps will be taken to correct inaccurate personal information without unnecessary delay.

20. Deleting Your Account or Leaving the Project

You may leave the project at any time.

When you leave, we will review the personal information held about you and delete or anonymise information that is no longer needed.

Some information may be retained where:

  • it remains necessary for legal or security reasons;
  • it forms part of a legitimate moderation record;
  • it is needed to resolve an ongoing complaint;
  • or it appears within collaboratively created and already published archive material.

Your private contact details will not be kept merely because your fictional character appeared in a published mission.

21. People Under 18

Star Trek: Uncharted Course is intended only for adults aged 18 or over.

We do not knowingly accept applications from children.

Where we reasonably believe that an applicant is under 18, the application will not be progressed and the information will be deleted when it is no longer needed to document or address the submission.

Applicants must confirm that they are aged 18 or over before submitting the application form.

22. Complaints

Questions or concerns should first be sent to:

game.director@startrekunchartedcourse.com

We will try to respond fairly and resolve the issue.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office, the United Kingdom’s independent data-protection regulator.

The Information Commissioner’s Office provides guidance about personal-information rights and how to make a complaint.

23. Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated when:

  • the project introduces new website features;
  • forms or data practices change;
  • new third-party services are introduced;
  • legal requirements change;
  • or the project’s administration develops.

The current version will always appear on this page with its most recent revision date.

Where a change significantly affects active members or applicants, reasonable steps will be taken to bring it to their attention.

24. Contact

For questions about this Privacy Policy, personal information held by the project or your data-protection rights, contact:

Lee Tyers
Creator and Game Director
Star Trek: Uncharted Course

game.director@startrekunchartedcourse.com