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Data security

We manage data that matters to our members: the studbook, show entries, the Judges' School records. Here is, briefly and honestly, what we do to keep it safe.

What we do

• Encryption in transit. The whole site runs exclusively over HTTPS.
• Code-based access with rate limiting. Internal areas (registry office, courses platform, administration) open only with individual codes; repeated failed attempts are blocked automatically, and codes can be revoked at any time.
• Secrets live only on the server. The verification keys for codes and sessions never reach the public pages.
• Audit trail. Sensitive registry operations (issuing, changes, deletions) are recorded with author and date.
• Encrypted backups. Records have encrypted backup copies (AES-256), kept separately from the working systems; restoration is tested.
• Data minimisation. We ask only for what the purpose requires, and public pages show only what must be public (e.g. owners' contact details do not appear in the web version of the catalogue). See also the privacy policy and personal data requests.
• Up-to-date software. Components are updated regularly and the system is checked periodically for known vulnerabilities.

Where we use artificial intelligence

In two places, both with a human at the wheel:

• Reading pedigree certificates. When a litter is registered, the registry office may request automated reading of the two parents' certificates, to avoid transcribing thirty ancestry entries by hand. The result is a proposal, checked and saved by a person — nothing enters the studbook on its own. Details on which documents are sent and where are in the privacy policy.
• Judging exercises in the Judges' School, for wording the explanations in a candidate's feedback. The score itself is computed by a fixed formula, not by the model: the AI part accounts for at most 6% of it, and the exercises do not affect the final examination or authorisation.

Everywhere else — entry validation, ring qualifications and titles, the catalogue, the studbook, the School's tests — the work is done by human-written, verifiable rules. No decision concerning a member, a dog or a candidate is taken automatically.

What we do not promise

No organisation can guarantee absolute security. What we do promise is that we take the measures above seriously, fix what is found as a priority, and, should an incident affect anyone's data, notify them as the law requires.

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