Whatsapp

1. Purpose / Objectives of WhatsApp Group

The Group is intended as a convenient way to distribute information to members quickly and efficiently as well as for members to communicate easily with each other regarding matters relating to Investing Women Angels.  It has been set up in a spirit of informal communication amongst members, however, some rules and general conduct guidelines have been set out, which we ask all members to adhere to.

2. WhatsApp Group Administrator

The Administrator will be a member of the IWA admin team and will be responsible for overseeing the Group and to monitor conduct. 

3. General Rules and Conduct

The following should be adhered to:

• The group should only be used for Investing Women Angels topics.
• The group should not be used to express personal opinions or post private messages.
• Any opinions expressed are the opinions of individual members. Group administrators are not responsible for any comments posted by individual members of the group.
• It is not necessary to respond to every post unless it is requested e.g., RSVP.
• If your message is not relevant to most group members, please message the person directly rather than the entire group.
• Inappropriate posts include: using inappropriate language; insulting messages; voicing grievances or with individual members of the group.
• No comments should be made regarding individual IWA members, the admin team, the Board, and IWA policies.
• Should there be a breach of any of the guidelines, the group Administrator reserves the right to remove the transgressor from the group.
• By participating in this WhatsApp Group, you agree to these group rules.
• Participation is not obligatory and if you join, you have the option of leaving. We would hope that all members can see the usefulness of the group and will cooperative accordingly.

4. Confidentiality / Data Protection

WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted. This means that only participants of the group can read or see what has been sent. Each message has a unique ‘lock and key’, this means that even the WhatsApp service is unable to see any of the content within the group.

As another element of confidentiality, there is a group rule which states that all names are anonymised, and this also includes not revealing identifying features of a person, for instance, revealing a person’s address on the group or sharing photos.

Each participant has a responsibility to ensure that the device they use to access the group is secured i.e., password / pin protection and the group is not left open for others to see.

The rules governing the use of information are similar to paper records, e-mails and telephone calls, there is a responsibility by everyone involved to adhere to the data protection principles.

5. Complaints / Grievance

There are clear rules and a policy in place; however, there could be an occasion where a participant is offended by comments made by other participants and wishes to complain.

The complainant must not respond or engage in any discussion which they are offended by.

They will need to approach the Administrator of the group to ensure they are aware of the situation and the Administrator will then investigate further and take any action deemed reasonable and proportionate.

6. Data Use

WhatsApp uses data, participants are, therefore, advised to ensure they are connected to Wi-Fi before joining the group to minimise use of their data allowance.

To reduce the amount of data used (for those who don’t have access to Wi-Fi), the group rules clearly state that memes, adverts etc are not to be shared within the group. Sending videos and photos should also be avoided where possible as this can use far more data.