1. Introduction
AcharyaramG 2020, Kathmandu, Nepal ("AcharyaramG", "we", "us", or "our") provides the services rendered to you through the AcharyaramG website available at https://www.acharyaramg.com.np, and through any of its web pages and associated applications which may be available on multiple devices, including mobile applications ("Service"). This Privacy Policy sets forth the collection and use practices of AcharyaramG for personal data we process in the course of providing the Service.
Our Service takes your work and activities on the Service into account to help connect you with other individuals who are relevant to you and recommend relevant content. We also gather information from external sources, in order to disseminate as much relevant scientific content as possible to drive science forward. Any natural or legal person who, as a recipient of the Service, accesses or uses the Service for any purpose is a User ("User", "you"). Our registered Users ("Members") share their professional identities and credentials, display their academic publications, engage and collaborate with their networks, exchange knowledge and professional insights, post and view relevant content, and discover business and career opportunities. Some content is also visible to unregistered or logged-out Users ("Visitors"). A User could be a Member or a Visitor. An Author ("Author") is a natural person who, for the purpose of our Service, is a member of the scientific community by for example being an author/editor of a publication, being an advisor or recipient of scientific funding. An Author is not necessarily a User or Member of our Service.
AcharyaramG reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, in particular, to reflect changes in market conditions affecting ResearchGate’s activities, changes in technology, changes in relevant laws and regulatory requirements, and changes in AcharyaramG’s system capabilities. If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we may notify Members by email or other reasonable means, including through notifications on our Service. If you object to any new version, you should stop using our Service and/or close your account. If you continue to use our Service after having been provided with such notice you will be deemed to have acknowledged the Privacy Policy.
2. Information we process and how we process it
Basic data processed
Certain data will be processed when you access the Service, to resolve the technical request of your device, display the site and maintain the safety and security of our systems. This data is stored in so-called logs and comprise the following:
- IP addresses and your mobile device's Identifier for Advertising (IDFA);
- the type of computer or mobile device you are using including operating system and version;
- the types of browser you are using, the language, and your country;
- referring and exit pages and URLs;
- platform type;
- the number of clicks on a page or feature, pages viewed and the order of those pages, the amount of time spent on particular pages or parts of pages;
- domain names and;
- information collected for performance purposes (e.g. average load, render time of pages, etc.).
The data processed is very basic data, and does not contain directly identifiable information about you. We have a legitimate interest in being able to provide a functioning, reliable and accessible website and resolve your server-request in an appropriate manner. All of our pages are secured using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology, which encrypts data transmitted between our servers and your end devices. We also apply other suitable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data.
Personal data we process
In order to provide you with functionalities, we need to process certain data and/or information relating to you:
Registration and Profile Information
Registration and maintenance of your Member account: If you choose to create a Member account on our Service, you will be required, during the registration process, to provide your first and last name, an email address, and a password. You will receive a confirmation email. Your Member account will be confirmed after you have clicked on the respective link in the account activation email. You may also be invited to associate certain information we present to you with your account, such as articles, institutional affiliation, and biographical information.
Other personal data: During the registration process or when updating your profile, you can choose to provide other information that can be used to identify and/or contact you, including for example, a profile picture, your Twitter account handle or your city of residence. You may also be invited or required to provide information about you, including, for example, demographic information, such as occupation, and research vita, education, authorship of articles, academic or research expertise or interests, conferences you have attended, groups of which you are a member, information regarding your professional and academic career, academic degree, your previous roles and jobs.
Third-party Connectors & Communications
Third-party connectors: You can choose to create an account using your Facebook, LinkedIn or Google account and subsequently use that third-party platform’s credentials to log in to your ResearchGate account. Using this option means that you are allowing ResearchGate to request and use certain data from the third-party account. For Google, this involves us processing your email address. For LinkedIn, we will process your email address, first and last name, and profile picture. For Facebook, we will process your email address and public profile information.
Communications with us: When you communicate with us, you may provide us with your name, contact details, and other personal data as part of your communication, as well as the content of your message itself. Similarly, when we communicate with you, we will process your personal information, such as your email address. For some of our emails, we also process information indicating whether you have opened the email.
Communications through the Service: Many communications that you initiate through our Service listing your name in the header. Once mutually connected, contact information will be shared with that individual.
Recommendations, Payments & Security
Recommendations: We process bibliographical data, usage frequency, and interaction data to tailor content recommendations. Statistical evaluations help us infer other information, such as your research seniority.
Third party providers: When you benefit from a third-party offer, we may share affiliation data if you explicitly allow it.
Payment data: For premium products, we process billing addresses. ResearchGate does not process credit card information itself; this is handled by Stripe as an independent controller. We retain your name/address for invoicing.
Security: We process profile page view counts to prevent data harvesting and IP addresses to filter suspicious requests. Members' full IPs are stored for registration and last login security purposes.
Statistics: We use activity data (read counts, projects, citations) to generate statistics on reading behavior or achievements.
3. How we use data we collect about you
Generally speaking, we may, pursuant to Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR use your data based on our legitimate interests:
- to provide and improve our Service;
- to perform internal quality checks;
- to prevent, detect, process and investigate malfunctions, incidents, fraudulent or other illegal activities;
- to ensure network and information security;
- to create statistics on access channels;
- to contact you, if requested or necessary to fulfil the contract;
- enforcing obligations owed to us;
- accounting, risk management and record keeping.
Pursuant to Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR we may use your data to comply with legal obligations (e.g. trade/tax law retention periods or court decisions).
Transactional and Sponsored Content
Communications: Our legal basis is Art. 6 (1)(b) or (f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in responding to enquiries.
Transactional emails: We use your email for relevant developments (network updates, publications). You can opt out in settings. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1)(b) GDPR.
Sponsored emails: We send these with prior consent (Art. 6 (1)(a)) or based on legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1)(f)) where allowed. Opt-out is available via "unsubscribe" or "notification settings".
Tailored content: enabling customized dynamic web pages ("Suggested for you", "Who to follow"). Legal basis: Art. 6 (1)(b) or (f) GDPR. This processing does not conflict with your interests and has no negative impact.
Candidate search: Recruiters with Recruiter Accounts may see limited profile info. Your inclusion is fully under your control; you can block recruiters or opt out via privacy settings. Legal basis: Art. 6 (1)(b) GDPR.
4. How we use relevant publicly available data
We also process personal data relating to Authors that is publicly available and relevant for our Service. We may obtain information about Authors from publicly available sources (research publications, funding references) to create a record of scientific contributions or professional connections.
5. Information we process when using technologies like cookies and pixels
- Session cookies: Automatically deleted after the session.
- Persistent cookies: Help improve products for repeat users.
Pixels (Web Beacons): Image files or links that analyze Service effectiveness or email open rates. Pixels do not provide personal data. If cookies are deactivated, Pixels only report anonymous visits. We use Google conversion tracking technologies.
6. Advertisements on AcharyaramG
We generate revenue through advertisements. Advertisers may collect or we may share: performance data (clicks), aggregated/de-identified info (e.g. location), technical info (IPs, IDFAs), and contextual data. They may use single or multiple tracking technologies. Advertisements may take you to third-party sites; ResearchGate is not responsible for their data usage or privacy policies.
7. Recipients and safeguards
Recipients: ResearchGate does not sell your personal data. Data is processed in Canada and stored on Canadian servers. Canada ensures an adequate level of protection according to EU standards. Data shared with advertisers is limited to identifiers (IPs, cookie IDs). Name and email are only shared with third parties if explicitly allowed. We disclosure data in response to legal processes or to protect safety.
Safeguards: If transferring data outside the EEA to countries without adequate protection, we ensure compliance via appropriate transfer instruments (e.g., European Standard Contractual Clauses).
8. Data subject rights
Under the GDPR, you are entitled to the following rights:
Right of Access, Correction & Deletion
Right of access (Art. 15): Obtain information about processing purposes, categories of data, disclosure recipients, and storage periods.
Right to correct (Art. 16): Correct inaccurate data or complete incomplete data.
Right to deletion (Art. 17): Obtain deletion of personal data, subject to legal retention obligations.
Right to Restriction & Object
Right to restrict (Art. 18): Restrict processing if accuracy is contested, processing is unlawful, or for the exercise of legal claims.
Right to object (Art. 21): Object to processing based on Art. 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests) for reasons relating to your situation. You can object to direct marketing at any time without reason.
Portability & Complaints
Right to data portability (Art. 20): Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format or request transfer to another party.
Right to lodge a complaint: Contact your competent supervisory authority at your usual place of residence or our authority.