The four women starting this conversation want to talk to others in the self-reliant groups.
So they need need phone numbers and email addresses. In the world of GDPR this means personal data, any information that can identify a person.
WEvolution is the organisation supporting the self-reliant groups in Scotland. They have the telephone numbers and email addresses. But the law forbids WEvolution from sharing the data. Not even to the four women in the movement who want to own their data.
One of the women asked the obvious. How can we lead a project on having control of our data when we cannot even get phone numbers of our other fellow members?
It took a bit of back and forth. And some compromise. The women asked WEvolution to send a personal text to more than a 100 SRG members in Scotland. Those interested clicked on a link that brought them onto WhatsApp. Once a woman decides to join the WhatsApp group, the GDPR problem goes away.
But the irony does not. Women give their data to WEvolution. WEvolution are not allowed to give data back to the women; women who want to take back control of their data.