Privacy Notice

1. Introduction

This Privacy Notice is a general statement on how Green UPDate Knowledge Portal collects, processes, stores, and protects personal data.

This Notice is not a consent form, but serves to inform users of:

  • the categories of personal data processed;
  • the purposes and extent of processing; and
  • their rights as data subjects.

This is aligned with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10173) and relevant issuances of the National Privacy Commission, consistent with UP privacy frameworks.

2. Scope

This Notice applies to all users interacting with the platform, including but not limited to:

  • researchers and contributors
  • experts listed in the directory
  • users accessing spatial/map data
  • visitors of the platform

3. Personal Data Collected

The platform may collect and process the following:

a. Identification and Contact Information

  • Name, affiliation, institutional email
  • Professional profile details (for expert directory)

b. Research and Academic Data

  • Published research, datasets, and metadata
  • Contributions to collaborative research hubs

c. Technical and Usage Data

  • IP address, browser type, device information
  • system logs, analytics, and interaction data

d. Spatial and Environmental Data

  • geographic coordinates or map interactions
  • uploaded datasets (e.g., GIS layers, environmental indicators)

4. Purpose of Processing

Personal data is processed for legitimate academic, research, and platform-related purposes, including:

  • facilitating discovery of experts and research
  • enabling collaboration and knowledge sharing
  • providing interactive map-based insights
  • generating analytics and environmental intelligence
  • improving system functionality and user experience
  • complying with legal, regulatory, and institutional obligations

Processing is conducted only when necessary and proportionate to these purposes, consistent with UP principles of legitimate purpose and proportionality.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

Processing is based on one or more of the following:

  • performance of a mandate related to research and public service
  • compliance with legal obligations
  • consent (where applicable)
  • legitimate interests such as academic research and public information dissemination

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

Personal data may be shared with:

  • partner academic institutions and researchers
  • government agencies (when required by law)
  • authorized service providers (e.g., hosting, analytics)

All disclosures are done in accordance with applicable laws and institutional policies.

No personal data shall be disclosed to unauthorized third parties.

7. Data Storage and Retention

Personal data is stored in secure systems (cloud and/or institutional servers).

Retention is based on:

  • research relevance
  • legal and regulatory requirements
  • institutional records management policies

Data is retained only as long as necessary and disposed of securely thereafter, consistent with UP records management practices.

8. Data Subject Rights

Users have the following rights:

  • Right to be informed
  • Right to access
  • Right to object
  • Right to rectification
  • Right to erasure or blocking
  • Right to damages

These rights are exercised subject to limitations under applicable laws, particularly where data forms part of public or academic records.

9. Responsibilities of Users

Users are expected to:

  • provide accurate and truthful information
  • respect the privacy rights of others
  • obtain consent before submitting another person’s data
  • refrain from unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or personal information

These responsibilities reflect UP data subject obligations.

10. Research and Ethical Use

All research-related data processing follows:

  • applicable research ethics standards
  • institutional policies on responsible data use
  • principles of academic freedom balanced with privacy protection

Processing of research data is conducted with due regard to ethical considerations in data collection and use.

11. Security Measures

The platform implements organizational, physical, and technical safeguards, including:

  • access controls and authentication
  • encrypted data transmission
  • secure hosting infrastructure
  • monitoring and incident response procedures

Security incidents or personal data breaches are handled in accordance with established protocols and reported as required by law.

12. Cookies and Analytics

The platform may use cookies and analytics tools to:

  • understand user behavior
  • improve services
  • enhance performance

Users may control cookie settings through their browser preferences.

13. Changes to this Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice may be updated to reflect:

  • changes in legal requirements
  • system enhancements
  • evolving data practices

Users are encouraged to review this page periodically.

14. Contact Information

For inquiries, requests, or reports related to data privacy:

Data Protection Officer / Portal Administrator
[Insert Office / Unit Name]
[Insert Email Address]
[Insert Contact Number]

Users may also refer to the official UP privacy resources via the
UP Diliman Data Protection Office

15. Governing Law

This Privacy Notice shall be governed by:

  • Data Privacy Act of 2012
  • issuances of the National Privacy Commission
  • relevant UP System and UP Diliman policies