TravelMed Forum FAQs

Understanding the New TravelMed Forum Listserv

Why account creation is required, and why it applies to every member, everywhere

ISTM has launched a new platform, the TravelMed Forum Listserv, to give members an easy way to ask questions, share experiences, and discuss issues with each other directly. To make this possible, we partnered with Groups.io, a dedicated discussion-list host, instead of building this into our existing member portal. That means members create a free account with Groups.io and subscribe to the ISTM board to participate.

Many members have asked why account creation is necessary, especially when it means sharing personal data with yet another platform that hosts 200,000+ users. These FAQs answer that directly.

A listserv works differently from a typical webpage. It is a two-way discussion tool: messages move back and forth by email (or via the web interface) between everyone subscribed to the list. To send a message, reply to a thread, or even just receive discussion emails, the platform needs a way to identify you, route messages to you, and let you manage your own subscription and preferences. That requires an account — there isn’t a version of this that works anonymously, on Groups.io or any comparable platform.

Our members already told us, loudly, that logging into the member portal just to see a discussion board was a barrier. Groups.io is a purpose-built discussion-list platform used by professional associations, technical standards bodies, and special-interest communities worldwide specifically because it removes that barrier — members can participate by email without logging into a separate website every time. The tradeoff is that it is a separate account, but a far lighter one than a full portal login.

No. Account-based access is how essentially every discussion platform works, regardless of where it is based or who uses it.

The requirement comes from how listservs function as a technology, not from any particular country’s business norms or platform preference. Groups.io is simply the tool ISTM chose to host this — the sign-up step would exist on any comparable platform, American or otherwise.

Yes. Groups.io has published GDPR compliance measures that apply to all members, including those in the EU/EEA. According to their published compliance and privacy documentation, these include:

  • Standard Contractual Clauses (EU Model Clauses) governing international data transfers
  • A Data Processing Agreement available to organizations like ISTM
  • Data portability tools, including the ability to export your group data
  • The ability to delete your Groups.io account entirely, at any time
  • A published Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy describing exactly what is collected and why

You can review these directly at groups.io/static/compliance and groups.io/static/privacy.

Account creation requires only an email address and a password (or sign-in through an existing Google/Microsoft/Apple account). No payment information, physical address, or government ID is needed to join a discussion group. Profile fields beyond that — name, photo, bio — are optional and entirely up to each member.

No. Groups.io hosts many separate, independent groups on shared infrastructure — similar to how millions of people can have a Gmail address without ever seeing each other’s inbox. Your account is only visible within the ISTM group(s) you choose to join, and your profile information is controlled by your own privacy settings within that group. The 200,000+ figure reflects the total user base across all of Groups.io’s customers, not people who will see your data.

Under the Groups.io Data Processing Agreement, ISTM acts as the Controller of member data, and Groups.io acts as the Processor — meaning Groups.io only processes member data according to ISTM’s instructions and for the purpose of running the list, not for its own independent use.

Yes. Members can unsubscribe from the ISTM group at any time, and can delete their Groups.io account entirely, which removes their personal data from the platform. Instructions are available in Groups.io’s account settings and published help documentation.

For questions about your data protection rights in your country, your local data protection supervisory authority is the appropriate resource. A full directory of EU/EEA supervisory authorities is maintained by the European Data Protection Board at edpb.europa.eu. UK members can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.