This Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) explains how OpenScholar, LLC (“OpenScholar”, “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and shares your personal information. This Privacy Policy applies when you use and interact with our website, theopenscholar.com, when you use the OpenScholar platform to create or modify a website, when you access an OpenScholar-hosted website (in which case the privacy policy of the institution whose website you are accessing may also be applicable), or when you otherwise communicate or connect with us (collectively the “Platform”).
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms of this Privacy Policy and consent to OpenScholar’s collection, use and disclosure of personal information and other information as set forth herein. If you do not consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy, you should not access or use the Platform in any way and should immediately exit it.
Privacy Policy Updates
We may periodically revise this Privacy Policy at any time, by posting an amended Privacy Policy on the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform after any revisions means you consent to and accept the revised Privacy Policy.
Collection of Information
We obtain personal information and other information about you from a variety of sources. This includes personal information you or your institution provides to us, information we gather through automated means, and information we obtain from other sources.
Information you provide to us
We collect information from you that you provide as follows:
Signing up for an OpenScholar Website or Account
We collect personal information that you or your institution provide when you sign up for an OpenScholar account or website, click on “Get Your Website,” or visit the Platform to create an account or website. This information includes but is not limited to your name and email address.
Signing up for an Event
We collect personal information from you when you sign up for an OpenScholar event, including your name, professional affiliation, and email address.
Signing up for Email
We collect personal information from you when you sign up or subscribe to the OpenScholar newsletter and other email updates including your name and email address.
Automatically Collected Information
By choosing to use the Platform, you agree to provide OpenScholar with certain information that is automatically created, collected, and recorded by your use of the Platform. OpenScholar uses third parties, including Google Analytics, to collect this information which may include personal information.
The data collected may include but is not limited to:
- IP address
- Geolocation information
- Unique device identifiers
- Browser type, browser language, and operating system
- Device type and settings
- Internet service provider
- Web pages that you view, time spent on them, and links you click
- Websites you visited before and after visiting the Platform (referring URL)
- Dates and times you access or use the Platform
- or other information of this nature
We use this information in an aggregate fashion to track access to the Platform. Web server logs are retained on a temporary basis and then deleted from our systems.
How We Use Personal Information
We use the information we collect, including personal information, for a variety of purposes, including providing the Platform, complying with legal requirements, and for security purposes. For example, to the extent permitted by applicable law, we may use personal information to:
- Operate and improve the Platform;
- Provide customer support and respond to customer inquiries and feedback;
- Notify you about certain changes to the Platform;
- Personalize the Platform, for example to understand and save your preferences for future visits;
- Deliver marketing messaging on the Platform and on third party websites;
- Provide newsletters and other updates;
- Comply with applicable legal or regulatory requirements;
- Protect against fraud and illegal activity;
- Enforce our legal rights and policies; and
- Protect the security and integrity of the Platform.
Sharing of Personal Information
We may share your personal Information as follows:
Service Providers
We engage certain trusted third parties to perform functions and provide services to us, including, without limitation, database storage and management, customer relations and support, data analysis, and marketing and social media services. We may share your personal information and other information with these third parties, but only to the extent necessary to perform these functions and provide such services.
Other Third Parties
We also may share your personal information and other information with third parties as follows:
- to satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request;
- to detect, prevent or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues;
- to prevent a crime or protect national security;
- to protect the rights, property or safety of us, our users or others; or
- in connection with a financing or a sale, acquisition, merger or any other transaction involving a change of control in our business, including but not limited to a bankruptcy or similar proceeding.
Online Tracking Technologies
OpenScholar and our third-party analytics providers, including Google, may use cookies and similar technologies such as pixels, web beacons, and local storage to collect personal information and other information related to your online activities. Cookies are small files that are stored on your computer (unless you block them). We use cookies to understand and save your preferences for future visits and compile aggregate data about site traffic and site interaction so that we can provide new and improved tools in the future. Most browsers provide you with the ability to block, delete, or disable cookies. If you choose to reject cookies, some features and functionality of the Platform may be limited or unavailable.
To learn more about how Google uses data, visit Google’s Privacy Policy and Google’s page on “How Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps.” You may download the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on for each web browser you use, but this does not prevent the use of other analytics tools. To learn more about Google Analytics cookies, visit Google Analytics Cookie Usage on Websites.
Third-Party Cookies
Cookies may be set by an organization other than OpenScholar. These “third-party cookies” may, for example, originate from websites such as YouTube, X, Facebook, LinkedIn or other social media services. Since the cookie policies of these sites change over time, you should determine their policies by visiting the privacy policy pages of these sites directly. You may disable cookies through your individual browser options. If you would like to learn more about cookies, please refer to the following website: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/
Do Not Track
Some web browsers have a “Do Not Track” preference that transmits a “Do Not Track” header to the websites you visit with information indicating that you do not want your activity to be tracked. We do not respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals at this time as there is no standard for how online services should respond to such signals.
How Long Do We Keep Your Personal Information
We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it has been collected, as outlined in this Privacy Policy. We will also retain and use your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. We may retain information that does not identify you indefinitely.
Cross-Border Transfers
The Platform is based in the United States and may use service providers that operate in other countries. Your personal information may be transferred to the United States or other locations where privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your place of residence. If you choose to use the Platform, you freely and specifically consent to the transfer, processing and storage of your personal information, including automatically collected information, in the United States and other jurisdictions.
UNAUTHORIZED USE
Unauthorized attempts to use the Platform in a way that violates our Terms of Use, to utilize the Platform for other than its intended purposes, or to defeat or circumvent the Platform’s security features are strictly prohibited.
Children’s Privacy
We do not intend for the Platform to be used by children under the age of 16, nor do we intentionally collect or solicit any personal information from children under the age of 16. If you are under the age of 16, please do not provide us any information and promptly exit the Platform.
Third-Party Websites
We may provide hyperlinks to third-party websites as a convenience to users of the Platform. Please note that this Privacy Policy does not apply to such third-party websites or to third-party websites embedded on the OpenScholar Platform. OpenScholar is not responsible for the practices and policies (including privacy policies) of third parties. Therefore, you should review the privacy practices and policies of such third parties prior to providing your personal information in connection with such websites.
Email Subscriptions
You may subscribe to receive the OpenScholar newsletter and other updates via email. If you provide us with your email address, you authorize us to send you regular emails, including marketing emails, unless and until you request to unsubscribe from such. We may collect information regarding your interactions with our emails, including whether you opened the email or clicked on any links. If you no longer wish to receive emails from us, follow the "unsubscribe" instructions located near the bottom of each email. If you unsubscribe, you will still receive transactional emails from us including responses to your requests and feedback.
If you send us email messages, you should be aware that information disclosed in email may not be secure or encrypted and thus may be available to others. We suggest that you exercise caution when deciding to disclose any personal or confidential information in email.
Security
OpenScholar uses commercially reasonable efforts to protect the privacy and security of personal information we collect and process and to ensure that our systems are secure and meet industry standards. However, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of personal information, or that unauthorized access, hacking, data loss or other breaches will never occur. WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO ANY BREACHES OF SECURITY, DAMAGE TO YOUR DEVICE, OR ANY LOSS OR UNAUTHORIZED USE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION OR OTHER DATA.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at team@theopenscholar.com.
The effective date of this policy is April 23, 2024.