Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 2025 January 8

Introduction

SciPiPol ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and disclose your personal information when you visit our website scipipol.com ("the Site") and interact with our services. By using the Site, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

Information We Collect

We collect several types of information from users of the Site, including:

1. Personal Information:
   • Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your username, password, and email address.
   • Third-Party Login: If you use third-party services like ORCID or LinkedIn to sign up or log in, we may collect your profile information from these services.
   • Location: We may ask you to provide your state or region during the registration process or through your account settings to help personalize your experience.
2. Usage Information:
   • We may automatically collect certain information when you visit the Site, including your IP address, browser details, timestamps, referring pages, and other basic details related to your visit. This information helps us understand how visitors interact with the Site and improve user experience.

Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your experience on the Site. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that help us remember your preferences and improve functionality. Specifically, we use cookies for the following purposes:

• Managing Login Sessions: To remember your login state and keep you signed in during your visit, so you don't have to re-enter your credentials every time you access the Site.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, please note that disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of the Site, including staying logged in.

How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• To provide and maintain the Site and its services
• To personalize your experience and content
• To process your account registration and provide support
• To respond to your inquiries, questions, and requests
• To improve and optimize the Site based on user behavior
• To send administrative communications, such as account updates or security notices
• To detect and prevent fraud or malicious activities
• To comply with legal obligations

Sharing Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. However, we may share your information in the following situations:

• Service Providers: We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Site and providing services to you. These service providers include:
  • Email: We use Brevo to send emails, including account notifications and updates.
  • Authentication: We use ORCID and LinkedIn services for authentication and user login via third-party sign-ins.
  • Hosting: Hostinger provides the web hosting services for our Site, and may have access to your data.
• Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law or to comply with a legal process (e.g., a subpoena, court order, or government request).

These third-party service providers are obligated to handle your information securely and only in accordance with our instructions.

Your Choices and Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access and Correction: You can access, update, or correct your personal information by logging into your account.
• Account Deletion: You may delete your account and request that we remove your data, subject to certain exceptions under the law.
• Cookies: You can control cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect your experience on the Site.
• Opt-Out of Communications: You can opt out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in the email or contacting us directly.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide you with our services, comply with legal obligations, and enforce our agreements. Once no longer needed, your data will be securely deleted or anonymized.

Security

The security of your personal information is important to us. However, please be aware that no method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

We implement reasonable security measures to help safeguard your data from unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure. However, we encourage you to take steps to protect your own data by using strong passwords and ensuring that your device and account are secure.

Third-Party Links

The Site may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. Please review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

Children's Privacy

Our Site is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 18 (legal adults in most jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we learn that we have collected personal information from someone under the age of 18, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible. If you believe we may have collected information from a minor, please contact us immediately at inform@scipipol.com.

California Privacy Rights

If you are a resident of California, you have certain rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). These rights include:

1. Right to Access: You have the right to request information about the personal data we collect about you over the past 12 months, including:
   • The categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you
   • The categories of sources from which the personal information is collected
   • The purposes for collecting and using your personal information
   • The categories of third parties with whom we share your personal information
2. Right to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete the personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions, such as when the information is necessary for us to complete a transaction, detect security incidents, comply with legal obligations, or other permissible reasons.
3. Right to Opt-Out: We do not sell your personal information. If this changes in the future, we will provide you with the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information. At this time, we do not engage in the sale of data.
4. Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights. You may continue to access and use the Site and its services even if you choose to exercise your rights under the CCPA.
5. How to Exercise Your Rights: To exercise any of the rights described above, please contact us at inform@scipipol.com. We may require you to verify your identity before processing your request to ensure that we are providing the information or taking action on behalf of the correct person.
6. Authorized Agents: You may designate an authorized agent to submit requests on your behalf. If you choose to use an authorized agent, we may require proof that you have granted them permission to act on your behalf.

Categories of Personal Information We Collect

In accordance with the CCPA, we disclose the categories of personal information we may collect and the purposes for which we use this information:

• Personal Identifiers (e.g., name, email address, username)
• Account Information (e.g., password)
• Location Information (e.g., state or region, if provided by you)
• Internet or Other Electronic Network Activity (e.g., IP addresses, browser details, timestamps)
• Professional or Employment-Related Information (e.g., information from LinkedIn, ORCID)
• Other Information You Provide (e.g., responses to inquiries, support requests)

We use the above categories of personal information for the following purposes:

• To provide and maintain the Site and its services
• To personalize your experience
• To process your account registration and provide support
• To send administrative communications, such as account updates
• To comply with legal obligations

How to Contact Us

To request more information or to exercise your rights under the CCPA/CPRA, please contact us at:

inform@scipipol.com

Do Not Sell My Information

We do not sell your personal information. However, if we change our practices and begin selling data in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy to include a "Do Not Sell My Personal Information" link and provide a clear mechanism for you to opt-out.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will post the updated Privacy Policy on this page and update the "Effective Date" at the top of the policy.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. If you continue to use the Site after any changes to this Privacy Policy, it will be deemed that you have accepted those changes.