Privacy Policy

Account Information

When you create an account via Google OAuth, we collect:

• Email address (for account identification and communication)
• Full name (for personalization and attribution)
• Profile picture URL (for avatar display)
• Google user ID (for secure authentication)

Usage Data

To improve our service, we automatically collect:

• Search queries and filters used
• Plots viewed, liked, and saved to collections
• Time spent on different pages
• Device and browser information
• IP address and approximate location (for analytics and security)

User-Generated Content

• Collection names and descriptions you create
• Comments on plots (when available)
• Feedback and support messages

Service Provision

• Authenticate your account and maintain login sessions
• Personalize your experience and show relevant content
• Enable you to create and manage collections
• Track your liked plots and preferences
• Provide customer support and respond to inquiries

Analytics and Improvement

• Understand how users discover and interact with scientific plots
• Improve search relevance and recommendation algorithms
• Monitor platform performance and identify technical issues
• Analyze usage patterns to guide feature development

Communication

• Send important service updates and security notices
• Notify you of new features or significant changes
• Respond to your support requests and feedback
• Share research findings about scientific visualization (with your consent)

Limited Sharing Scenarios

We may share your information only in these specific circumstances:

• Service Providers: Trusted vendors who help us operate the platform (e.g., cloud hosting, analytics) under strict data protection agreements
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and safety
• Business Transfer: In the event of a merger or acquisition, with advance notice to users
• Aggregated Data: Anonymous, aggregated statistics for research purposes (no personal identification)

Public Information

Information you choose to make public includes:

• Public collections you create (name, description, and plots)
• Public comments on plots (when feature is available)
• Your display name and avatar (if you choose to make them visible)

Essential Cookies

Required for basic platform functionality:

• Authentication tokens to keep you logged in
• Security tokens to prevent CSRF attacks
• Session management for personalization
• User preference storage (theme, language)

Analytics Cookies

Help us understand how you use our platform:

• Page views and navigation patterns
• Search queries and result interactions
• Feature usage and performance metrics
• Error tracking for service improvement

Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through:

• Browser settings to block or delete cookies
• Our cookie preference center (when available)
• Opting out of analytics tracking

Security Measures

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmission
• Encrypted storage of sensitive information
• Regular security audits and updates
• Access controls limiting employee data access
• Rate limiting and abuse prevention systems

Data Retention

• Account Data: Retained while your account is active
• Usage Analytics: Aggregated and anonymized after 24 months
• Support Communications: Kept for 3 years for quality assurance
• Legal Requirements: Some data may be retained longer when required by law

Access and Control

You have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal data
• Portability: Export your data in a machine-readable format
• Restriction: Limit how we process your data
• Objection: Object to certain types of processing

How to Exercise Your Rights

• Contact us through our support channels
• Use account settings to modify your preferences
• Delete your account directly from user settings
• Update your profile information at any time