Privacy and security concerns regarding screening calls for an Ayahuasca retreat

[home123]

I’m currently planning to participate in an Ayahuasca retreat in Spain. Initially, the organizers requested a phone call, but after I mentioned that English is not my first language and I might not be very fluent, they asked for a video call.

To be clear, my concern about a video call is not due to my English speaking skills. However, I have serious concerns regarding privacy and digital security. I am worried about the call being recorded or the personal information shared during the call being used against me in the future.

Has anyone experienced this before? Is it standard for organizers to insist on a video call or a phone call for screening? Or would it be better to look for a different retreat for the sake of my privacy?

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.

 

[fractals4life]

Did they specify any platform they wanted to use for the call? Many have quite sophisticated anti recording and privacy features, but of course you can't prevent anyone just recording off the screen with another device. Why should video be any more privacy invading than a phone call?

They likely want to discuss medication interactions as SSRI use is so widespread these days. Video allows things such as just showing the packet of medicines that are complexly named, for instance, so they can check properly and advise in cases where there might be ambiguity when conveyed over the phone by a non native speaker.

Sounds like a responsible thing to do if that's the case. I have a friend of a friend who announced to her peers that she had booked a retreat in spain, but after the screening call she said she was denied due to such factors.

 

[blig-blug]

I don't think a screening call is a red flag, I think it could give you the chance to see what "vibes" you get from them. Your screening of them (so to speak) is probably even more important than their screening of you. So it's a good chance to get more information in that sense.

I agree about privacy concerns regarding videoconferencing platforms in general. This is kind of a lost cause, as most people just ignore it. But you could insist on the call being through a videoconferencing medium that you trust.

Lastly: assuming they are a legal entity (association or company), they are under legal obligation of disclosing to you what information they collect and retain, for how long, and for what purposes. They are likely to already have protocols related to that, as it's mandatory for any company.

If you get rejected in screening, you can request them to delete all data they may have about you (including even name, email, etc.) and they are under legal obligations to do so. If you get past the screening, you can request the same after the experience (if you request it before they don't need to and won't delete any information that they need for the experience, which I assume will be most of it). I would personally do that not because I distrust them (if I distrusted them I wouldn't drink Aya with them), but because it's best to minimize the storage of any sensitive information, as it can always leak, be breached, etc.

If you get any feelings that this organization may not be the best for you at any point, you should likely look for another one. But also, I think it's good to be open and not overly paranoid. Give them a chance to show that they are trustworthy, and ask them if you have doubts about why they do things in a certain way. Good luck with your experience!

 

[Nydex]

From what I hear as of lately, Ayahuasca retreats in Spain, while technically legal, are now being persecuted for cult behavior instead, so they might be insisting on a video call to try and suss out if you have a law enforcement vibe to you. But I agree with blig - you should view it as a two-sided exchange as it is very valuable for you to try and get a feel for these people, however accurate that feel may be over a video call instead of on-site.

 

[blig-blug]

From what I hear as of lately, Ayahuasca retreats in Spain, while technically legal, are now being persecuted for cult behavior instead

This is true, and a significant risk to bear in mind.

Ayahuasca itself has always been technically legal, and last year a court finally made the situation clear and stated that, as of now, it's legal. That reduces any issues related to Ayahuasca itself and removes drug laws from the picture.

However, serving a given substance to other people may not be legal, even if the substance itself is legal. This is the main legal issue with Ayahuasca retreats and religious groups in Spain right now. They are indeed being targeted by "anti-cult" police units, however the legal charges brought up are more often related to offering Ayahuasca to others, in the name of public health.

In most cases, the legal cases haven't gone anywhere. The police know this, so it seems they want to discourage groups such as Santo Daime by performing arrests in the middle of ceremonies. That's potentially very traumatic and a punishment in itself even when the charges brought up don't prosper.

It's not like this is happening constantly (it has just happened a few times, vs. hundreds of ceremonies per year), but it's a risk to bear in mind. They seem to be targeting more the more openly religious or spiritual groups.

In my opinion, this is a case of religious prosecution, but that's a different topic.

 

[Nydex]

This is true, and a significant risk to bear in mind.

Ayahuasca itself has always been technically legal, and last year a court finally made the situation clear and stated that, as of now, it's legal. That reduces any issues related to Ayahuasca itself and removes drug laws from the picture.

However, serving a given substance to other people may not be legal, even if the substance itself is legal. This is the main legal issue with Ayahuasca retreats and religious groups in Spain right now. They are indeed being targeted by "anti-cult" police units, however the legal charges brought up are more often related to offering Ayahuasca to others, in the name of public health.

In most cases, the legal cases haven't gone anywhere. The police know this, so it seems they want to discourage groups such as Santo Daime by performing arrests in the middle of ceremonies. That's potentially very traumatic and a punishment in itself even when the charges brought up don't prosper.

It's not like this is happening constantly (it has just happened a few times, vs. hundreds of ceremonies per year), but it's a risk to bear in mind. They seem to be targeting more the more openly religious or spiritual groups.

In my opinion, this is a case of religious prosecution, but that's a different topic.

How dare these horrible people serve medicine that heals the soul to people that need the healing!!! Such despicable behavior...

The very notion of serving Aya being likened to a cult is beyond offensive, but we can't reasonably expect the stiff suits to know of or care about this.