Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide. When you create an account, request to become a referee, or contact us, we collect identifying and contact information such as your name, email address, institutional affiliation, professional background, and any optional bio or profile photo you upload. Account authentication is handled by Clerk; sign-in identifiers, password hashes, and session tokens are stored on Clerk's infrastructure under their privacy practices.

Content you submit. Comments, verdicts, test and build records, attached media (photos, videos, recordings), and any other information you upload to the Service. These are stored by us (and, for media, by our object-storage provider Vercel Blob).

Automatically collected information. Server logs (IP address, user agent, requested URL, timestamps), analytics events (page views, navigation events, performance metrics), and limited error/diagnostic information. We use Vercel Analytics for traffic analysis; Vercel's practices govern that data.

2. How We Use Information

• To provide, operate, and maintain the Service.
• To authenticate your account, manage role assignments (referee, builder), and prevent unauthorized access.
• To moderate referee comments and to publish approved comments, verdicts, and profile entries that you have opted into making public.
• To respond to your inquiries, support requests, license applications, and investor outreach.
• To analyze how the Service is used, debug issues, and improve features and content.
• To comply with legal obligations and to enforce our Terms of Service.

3. How We Share Information

We share information only where necessary to operate the Service or where required by law:

• Service providers. We use Clerk for identity and authentication, Vercel for hosting, Vercel Analytics for aggregate metrics, Vercel Blob for object storage of uploaded media, and Neon for database hosting. These providers process information on our behalf under their respective security and privacy commitments.
• Public publication. Information you opt into publishing — your name and role on the public referee directory, an approved comment, a verdict — appears on publicly viewable parts of the Service. You can withdraw public listing at any time from your referee profile page.
• Legal compliance. We may disclose information where required by law, regulation, court order, subpoena, or governmental request, or where we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, the safety of users, or to investigate fraud or security incidents.
• Business transfers. If EMGravity is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, asset sale, or reorganization, information may be transferred to the successor or affiliated entity. We will provide notice before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

We do not sell or rent personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

4. Cookies & Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, session management, and analytics. See our Cookie Policy for details and choices.

5. Data Retention

We retain account information for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period thereafter to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements. Test and build records may be retained indefinitely as part of the published scientific record. You may request deletion of your account and personal information by contacting us, subject to retention requirements that may apply.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your location you may have certain rights regarding your personal information:

• Access & portability. Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction. Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion. Request deletion of your personal information, subject to applicable legal exceptions.
• Opt-out. Withdraw your public listing on the referee directory at any time from your profile page.
• California residents (CCPA / CPRA). You have the right to know what personal information we collect, the purposes for which it is used, and to whom it is shared; the right to delete; the right to correct; and the right to opt out of any “sale” or “sharing” of personal information (we do not sell or share for cross-context behavioral advertising).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the address in Section 11. We will respond within applicable legal timeframes and will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

7. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected such information, we will delete it promptly. If you believe we may have collected information from a child, please contact us.

8. International Users

The Service is operated from the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, you consent to the transfer, processing, and storage of your information in the United States, which may have data-protection laws different from those of your jurisdiction.

9. Security

We use commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information, including TLS encryption in transit and access controls on stored data. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; accordingly, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Changes

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by an updated Effective date and, where appropriate, additional notice. Continued use of the Service after the Effective date constitutes acceptance.

11. Contact

Questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information should be sent to the contact form.