Privacy Policy

1. Who we are
Our website address is: https://portal.bavbd.org
The BAVBD portal is an international platform for scientists and researchers collaborating on vector-borne diseases.

2. Information We Collect

Comments: When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help detect spam.

An anonymized string created from your email (hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. Gravatar’s privacy policy is available at https://automattic.com/privacy/
After comment approval, your profile picture may be visible in context with your comment.

Media: If you upload images, avoid including location data (EXIF GPS) in images. Visitors can download and extract any location data from images.

Cookies:

  • If you leave a comment, you may opt-in to saving your name, email, and website in cookies for convenience. These cookies last one year.
  • Temporary cookies may be set to check if your browser accepts cookies (discarded after closing your browser).
  • Login cookies save your login information and display preferences. They last two days, or two weeks if “Remember Me” is selected. Screen options cookies last one year. Publishing or editing content sets a cookie that expires after one day.

Embedded Content: Articles may include embedded content (videos, images, etc.). Embedded content behaves as if you visited the original website, which may collect data, use cookies, or track your interaction.

3. How We Use Your Information

  • To manage membership and user accounts.
  • To facilitate collaboration among members.
  • To improve portal functionality and security.

4. Data Sharing

  • Password reset emails include your IP address.
  • Visitor comments may be checked through automated spam detection services.
  • Data may be shared with collaborators or legal authorities as required by law.

5. Retention of Data

  • Comments and metadata are retained indefinitely for moderation and follow-up purposes.
  • Registered users’ personal information is stored in their profile. Users can see, edit, or delete most of their data. Administrators can also edit user data as needed.

6. Your Rights

  • Users can request an exported file of their personal data.
  • Users can request erasure of personal data, except where data must be retained for legal, administrative, or security reasons.

7. International Users
By using the portal, you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy, regardless of your country of residence.

8. Login and Activity Logs

  • The portal may keep logs of user login attempts, including successful and failed logins, IP addresses, browser information, and timestamps.
  • These logs are used to detect and prevent unauthorized access, monitor potential security threats, and troubleshoot user account issues.
  • Logged data is stored securely and is accessible only to authorized portal administrators.

9. Security Plugins and Monitoring

  • Security plugins such as Wordfence, LiteSpeed Security, or similar may monitor site activity, detect malware, block suspicious activity, and provide firewall protection.
  • These plugins may collect technical data such as IP addresses, page requests, and system information to ensure portal security.
  • No personal data is shared with third parties for marketing purposes; data is used solely for security and site integrity.

10. Backups and Storage

  • The portal regularly creates backups of the website, including user-submitted content, database entries, and system files.
  • Backups may temporarily store personal data such as usernames, email addresses, and submissions to ensure site recovery in case of technical issues.
  • Backup data is encrypted and stored securely. Access is limited to authorized administrators only.