Privacy Policy & DPDP Act, 2023 Compliance

1. Our Core Commitment to Data Privacy

Confera operates under strict principles of transparency, data minimisation, and lawful purpose. We collect only what is necessary to operate scholarly conferences and provide our platform services. We do not sell personal data to third parties, nor do we use submitted academic manuscripts or confidential review scores for commercial advertising or unauthorized profiling.

2. Information We Collect

Depending on your interaction with the Platform, we collect:

3. Lawful Grounds and Purpose of Processing

Under Section 4 and Section 6 of the DPDP Act, 2023, personal data is processed solely on the basis of valid consent or specified legitimate scholarly uses, including:

• Registering and authenticating conference participants, authors, chairs, and reviewers.
• Conducting double-blind and single-blind peer review with conflict-of-interest screening.
• Processing camera-ready paper approval and compiling conference proceedings.
• Generating verifiable participation certificates and executing copyright forms.
• Notifying users regarding submission milestones, review deadlines, and event schedules.
• Ensuring security, preventing fraud or plagiarism, and maintaining audit logs.

4. Data Minimisation & Retention

We adhere to strict data minimisation: we request only the fields required for the specific conference role.

Personal data is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill conference delivery, publication archives, and compliance requirements. Upon expiration of the defined retention window or upon a valid erasure request, personal data is securely deleted or anonymized in accordance with statutory guidelines.

5. Technical & Organizational Security Safeguards

We implement comprehensive technical and organizational measures to safeguard your data against accidental loss, unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure:

• Encryption: TLS 1.3 encryption in transit and AES-256 encryption at rest.
• Role-Aware Access Control: Granular permissions ensuring reviewers cannot access author identities in double-blind tracks, and users access only data relevant to their role.
• Hash-Based Integrity: SHA-256 document hashing for signed copyright PDFs and certificate verification.
• Audit Trails: Immutable audit logging for critical administrative and review actions.

6. Your Rights under the DPDP Act, 2023

As a Data Principal under India's DPDP Act, 2023, you enjoy full statutory rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access Information: Request a summary of personal data being processed and the identities of any Data Processors with whom it has been shared.
• Right to Correction and Erasure: Request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete data, updating of records, or erasure of personal data that is no longer necessary for its original purpose.
• Right of Grievance Redressal: Readily accessible grievance mechanisms to report concerns or potential violations before our Data Protection Officer.
• Right to Nominate: Nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of death or incapacity.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw previously given consent for optional services at any time through your account settings.

7. Third-Party Sharing and Disclosures

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal data. Data is shared exclusively with designated conference organizers, authorized publisher repositories (for accepted papers, as mandated by the conference), and trusted infrastructure service providers (e.g., secure cloud hosting and transactional email delivery) bound by strict confidentiality agreements.

8. Grievance Redressal & Data Protection Officer

In compliance with Section 10 of the DPDP Act, 2023, we have appointed a dedicated Data Protection Officer (DPO) and Grievance Officer to address questions, exercise of rights, or concerns regarding your personal data:

9. Updates to this Policy

We may periodically update this Privacy Policy to reflect platform enhancements or changes in regulatory guidelines. Any material revisions will be reflected with a revised "Effective Date" at the top of this page.