Last updated: October 2026
CollabCite respects your privacy. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why, and the rights you have under India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”) and the rules made under it. For the purposes of the DPDP Act, CollabCite is the Data Fiduciary for the personal data described here.
1. The short version
- We collect only what each feature needs.
- We never sell your data, and we show no ads.
- Other members see only what your privacy settings allow, and can contact you only if you accept.
- You can access, correct or delete your data at any time.
2. Data we collect
| Data | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Name, email, institution, field, membership category, date of birth | To create your account, confirm you are 18 or older, and place you in the right category |
| Verification data: institutional email, ORCID iD, or uploaded ID card | To confirm you are a genuine academic. Uploaded ID cards are deleted once the check is complete, keeping only the result. |
| Research profile: interests, methods, publications, ORCID iD, open-to-collaborate status | To help members find collaborators, as your privacy settings allow |
| Collaboration calls, applications, group posts, messages, project records | To run the collaboration features you use |
| Payment records: plan, amount, GST, transaction ID, invoice | To process fees and meet tax and accounting law. Card and bank details are handled by the payment gateway and never stored by us. |
| Consents, with date and time | To show what you agreed to, as the DPDP Act requires |
| Journal reports and evidence you submit | To investigate the report. Your identity is kept confidential. |
| Contact and waitlist form details | To reply to you or tell you when sign-ups open |
| Basic technical data: IP address, browser, login times | For security, fraud prevention and keeping the site working |
3. Consent and legitimate uses
We process your personal data on the basis of the consent you give when you join or submit a form, and for legitimate uses permitted by the DPDP Act, such as complying with law. Each consent is requested in clear terms and recorded. You may withdraw consent at any time; this does not affect processing already done, but we may then be unable to continue your membership.
4. Who we share data with
We do not sell or rent personal data. We share it only:
- with other members, to the extent your privacy settings allow;
- with service providers who process data for us under contract, such as our web host, payment gateway and email delivery service, only to provide their service;
- where required by law or by a lawful order of a court or authority.
5. How long we keep data
We keep your account data while your membership is active and for a reasonable period afterwards so you can renew. When you ask us to delete your account, or when the purpose is complete, we erase your personal data unless the law requires us to keep it (for example, payment and tax records). Verification documents are deleted once the check is complete.
6. Your rights
Under the DPDP Act you have the right to:
- access a summary of the personal data we hold about you and how it is processed;
- correct, complete, update or erase your personal data;
- withdraw consent;
- grievance redressal through our Grievance Officer;
- nominate a person to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity.
Members can export data and request correction or deletion from Privacy Settings in their account, or by writing to us.
7. Security
We use reasonable security safeguards, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls, firewalls, two-factor login for administrators and regular backups. If a personal data breach occurs, we will inform affected members and the Data Protection Board of India as the law requires.
8. Children
CollabCite is only for people aged 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18, and we delete such data if we discover it.
9. Cookies
See our Cookie Policy.
10. Grievance Officer
For any privacy question, request or complaint, contact our Grievance Officer at hello@collabcite.com, or use the contact form and choose “Privacy and my data”. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India.
11. Changes
We will notify members of material changes to this policy before they take effect.