Scope and contact

This policy applies to the AURELIS Association website, including the online membership application form, application review area and approved-member records administered through this site. Privacy enquiries and requests may be sent to 15217326923@163.com.

The separate AURELIS Design Awards website has its own pages, services and privacy choices. When you follow an external link, the destination site's privacy policy applies.

Information handled by this website

The website may handle the following categories of information:

• Language and privacy preferences stored locally in your browser.
• Technical request, security and access-session information processed as needed to deliver and protect the website and its restricted administration area.
• Information you send by email, including your name, contact details and the content of your enquiry.
• Membership application data: requested membership level, legal and preferred name, email address, optional telephone number, country or region, city, design discipline, current title, optional organisation or studio, years of experience, optional website, portfolio URL and application statement.
• The date and time when the required declaration and privacy terms were accepted, and whether the optional Association-news preference was selected.

Membership evidence and file uploads

A complete online membership application requires an identity portrait image, a CV or résumé in PDF format, professional credential evidence in PDF format and a portfolio in PDF format. The form currently accepts JPG, PNG or WebP portrait files up to 5 MB, CV and credential PDFs up to 10 MB each, and a portfolio PDF up to 20 MB.

The system generates an application reference and records each uploaded file's document category, original file name, file type and file size. The uploaded file itself is kept in controlled object storage and is not published as a public website file.

How application information is used

Application data and evidence are used to validate a submission, assess the requested membership level, verify professional information, contact the applicant when clarification is needed, record the review status and decision, administer an approved membership and maintain an auditable record of the process.

Review status, reviewer notes, the reviewer identity and review time may be recorded. Approval creates a controlled member profile and membership number from the approved application. A newly created member profile is not public by default. If publication is separately approved, an exact-name-and-number lookup may show the member's name, number, level, controlled professional field, approval date, live status, review round, decision reference and a non-sensitive admission-basis summary. Uploaded source files, contact details and internal reviewer notes are not published through that lookup. The system does not automatically approve a membership application.

If you select the optional Association-news preference, that choice may be used to send Association updates. You can withdraw that preference by contacting the address above.

Storage, access and payment information

Structured application details, review records and approved-member records are stored in the website's managed membership database. Uploaded evidence is stored separately in managed object storage. Access to application records and files is restricted through the administration area to authorised owners, administrators and membership personnel according to their assigned role.

Administrative file responses are marked private and are not intended to be cached publicly. Reasonable technical and organisational safeguards are used, but no internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

The website currently has no online payment checkout and the membership application form does not request payment-card or bank-account information. If payment processing is introduced later, this policy will be updated before that feature is used.

Retention and deletion

Application details, uploaded evidence, review records and approved-member records are retained for as long as reasonably needed to review the application, administer membership, verify decisions, maintain security and audit integrity, resolve disputes and meet applicable obligations. The appropriate period may differ according to the status and purpose of the record.

There is no applicant self-service deletion control. You may request access, correction, withdrawal or deletion by email. Before acting, the Association may verify your identity and may retain information that is reasonably required for security, audit, dispute-resolution or legal purposes.

Privacy choices stored in the browser are retained for up to 180 days. A language preference remains until it is changed or browser storage is cleared. Restricted administration sessions expire separately under the site's access-control settings.

Service providers and international processing

The website uses ChatGPT Sites and its managed hosting, database, object-storage and security infrastructure to provide the service. These providers may process technical, application and file data on the Association's behalf where needed to operate and secure the site, which may involve processing in more than one country or region.

The website does not currently load Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Microsoft Clarity, Meta Pixel, advertising networks, payment services or cross-site behavioural profiling tools. Email messages are also handled by the sender's email service and the published recipient mailbox.

Your choices and privacy requests

You may reopen Privacy Choices from the website footer, change the selected language, clear browser storage or decline the optional Association-news preference. Depending on applicable law, you may also have rights to request access, correction, deletion, restriction or information about how your personal information is handled.

Send a request to 15217326923@163.com and include enough information to identify the relevant application or correspondence. The Association may ask for proportionate verification before disclosing or changing a record. This policy describes the current website data flow and does not by itself establish compliance in every jurisdiction.