Effective date: 7 May 2026 · Last updated: 19 May 2026
Short version: We collect the minimum data needed to run a real community. We store it securely in the EU. We don't sell it, we don't share it with advertisers, and you can ask us to delete it at any time.
The AI Fellowship is the data controller for personal data collected through theaifellowship.com and related platforms.
Contact: hello@theaifellowship.com
If you have a data protection concern you cannot resolve through the above, you have the right to contact your national data protection authority.
We collect only what we need to run the community:
| Data | Source | Why we collect it |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | LinkedIn OAuth | To identify you as a member |
| Email address | LinkedIn OAuth | To communicate with you and for account login |
| LinkedIn profile URL | LinkedIn OAuth | To verify identity during application |
| Profile photo | LinkedIn OAuth or your upload | To display on your member profile |
| Country and city | You provide during onboarding | To connect you with local chapters |
| Discord user ID | Discord (when you join) | To link your Discord identity to your membership |
| WhatsApp Community roster phone | Imported from our existing WhatsApp community | To verify Founding Member claims against our community list (legitimate interest; opt-out by email) |
| Verified WhatsApp phone | You enter it; verified via OTP | To confirm you were in our WhatsApp community when claiming the Founding Member badge |
| LinkedIn share access token | LinkedIn OAuth (only when you click Share to LinkedIn) | To post your Fellowship badge to your LinkedIn feed on your request. Expires after 60 days; you can revoke at any time. |
| Fellowship ID | Generated by us | Your unique, persistent community identifier |
| Verification status | Set by us | Tracks whether your profile has been reviewed (e.g. LinkedIn verified, Founding Member, or blocked) |
We do not collect sensitive categories of personal data (health, political opinions, religion, etc.) and we do not collect payment information.
The AI Fellowship operates across multiple platforms. Each has its own terms and privacy practices in addition to ours:
We recommend reviewing those policies for data handled directly by those platforms.
WhatsApp Community roster. Because The AI Fellowship started as a WhatsApp community, we maintain a list of the phone numbers of people who joined that community. We use this list only to verify the Founding Member badge claim — i.e. when a member enters their WhatsApp number on their profile, we check whether it is in the roster. We process this list under legitimate interest (GDPR Art 6(1)(f)): identifying our existing community members and recognising their early contribution. If you do not want your number used this way, email us and we will remove it from the roster.
WhatsApp verification. When you claim the Founding Member badge, we send a one-time code to the number you enter via WhatsApp Cloud API (Meta). The verified number is stored on your member record so you don't have to verify again, and so we have a record of which Founding Member claim corresponds to which roster entry. We do not message you on this number except for verification.
Public member directory. As an active member with a Fellowship ID, your first name, last name, profile photo, city, country, and bio (if you've added one) appear in our public member directory at theaifellowship.com/profile and on an individual page at theaifellowship.com/profile/<username>. Your email, phone number, Discord ID, and Fellowship ID are never shown publicly. We publish this directory under legitimate interest (GDPR Art 6(1)(f)) so members can find and connect with each other across chapters. If you would prefer not to appear, email hello@theaifellowship.com and we will remove you from the directory.
When you sign in with LinkedIn, we receive your name, email address, LinkedIn profile URL, and public profile photo. We use this only to create and maintain your Fellowship membership. We do not access your LinkedIn connections or messages.
If you separately click Share badge on LinkedIn from your dashboard, we store a short-lived LinkedIn access token (expiring after 60 days) so we can post the badge image you requested. We never post without your action, and you can revoke this access at any time from your LinkedIn settings or by emailing us.
If you close your account with us, we delete the LinkedIn-sourced data within 30 days.
We may send you:
We send email via Mailtrap/SMTP. Your email is shared with Mailtrap solely for delivery and is not used for their own marketing.
All personal data is stored on infrastructure hosted in Azure West Europe (Netherlands). While data is stored in the EU, The AI Fellowship operates under UK GDPR (the UK's retained version of GDPR). We apply encrypted connections, access controls, and regular backups.
We keep your personal data for as long as you are an active member. If you close your account, we will delete your personal data within 30 days, except where required by law or where data is anonymised and cannot be linked back to you.
We do not sell your personal data. We do not share it with advertisers. We share limited data only with:
To exercise any right: email hello@theaifellowship.com. We will respond within 30 days. You may also lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) — the UK's data protection supervisory authority.
We use only the cookies necessary to keep you logged in (session cookies). We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics that profile your behaviour.
The AI Fellowship is not directed at anyone under 16. If you believe a child under 16 has provided us with data, please contact us and we will delete it.
If we make material changes, we will notify you by email before the change takes effect.
The AI Fellowship
hello@theaifellowship.com
theaifellowship.com · United Kingdom