CCPA & CPRA
CCPA & CPRA
Effective Date: 10/March/2021
Last updated: 02/February/2022
Scope of this California Privacy Notice
This CCPA & CPRA Privacy Policy applies to personal information we collect about California residents in connection with:
- Use of our websites, online platforms, and submission systems
- Editorial and peer review activities
- Marketing communications, newsletters, conferences, and outreach
- Customer support, account management, and general inquiries
- Business to business contacts, including institutional and corporate representatives.
It does not apply to information that is exempt under the CCPA/CPRA, such as certain publicly available information, de-identified or aggregated information, or information processed in some employment or contractor contexts that may be covered by separate notices.
Categories of Personal Information We Collect
Under the CCPA/CPRA, “personal information” means information that identifies, relates to, describes, or could reasonably be linked with a particular consumer or household.
The categories of personal information that we may collect and process about California residents in the preceding 12 months include:
Identifiers
- Name, title, username
- Email address, postal address, country
- Telephone number
- Online identifiers such as IP address, account ID, and cookie identifiers
Customer records information
- Account registration details
- Institutional affiliation, position, department
- Billing and transaction records (for example fees, invoices, payment status)
- Order history for publications or related services
Professional or employment related information
- Academic degrees, institutional roles, areas of expertise
- Curriculum vitae or professional profile information you provide
- Editorial, reviewer, or board roles and history
Internet or other electronic network activity information
- Log data related to your use of our websites and systems
- Device information and browser type
- Pages viewed, time spent, and referring URLs
- Interaction with emails such as opens and clicks
Commercial information
- Records of products or services purchased, obtained, or considere
- Information about your preferences and interactions with our content
User generated content
- Manuscripts, abstracts, cover letters
- Peer review reports and editorial comments
- Queries, messages, and other correspondence with us
Inferences drawn from other personal information
- Profile information reflecting your publishing interests, subject areas, or engagement with our content and services
Sensitive personal information (limited cases)
We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information from California residents for general marketing or tracking purposes. However, sensitive personal information may appear in:
- Manuscripts or supporting materials you choose to submit, such as health or clinical data, demographic details, or other sensitive research data
- Payment processing data handled by trusted third party processors such as partial card details and fraud prevention signals
- CPRA defines “sensitive personal information” to include items like government IDs, financial account credentials, precise geolocation, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, genetic data, health data, and the contents of certain communications.
We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes that require an additional right to limit under the CPRA, other than as allowed by law for security, fraud prevention, and service provision.
Sources of Personal Information
We may collect personal information from the following sources:
- Directly from you, for example when you create an account, submit a manuscript, register for services, contact us, or respond to surveys
- From your institution or organization, for example where your details are provided as a corresponding author, co author, editor, or reviewer
- Automatically from your device and browser when you visit our websites or interact with our emails through cookies and similar technologies
- From our service providers and partners, such as analytics, payment processors, hosting providers, and indexing or discovery services
- From publicly available sources, such as institutional websites, professional profiles, funder databases, or conference programs
How We Use Personal Information (Business and Commercial Purposes)
We may use the personal information described above for the following business and commercial purposes:
Publishing and editorial operations
- Managing manuscript submissions, peer review, editorial decisions, and production
- Communicating with authors, co authors, reviewers, and editors
- Maintaining editorial and reviewer databases and assigning manuscripts based on expertise
Providing and improving our services
- Operating, securing, and improving our websites, systems, and platforms
- Diagnosing technical issues and monitoring performance
- Developing new features, workflows, and user experiences
Customer and account management
- Creating and maintaining user accounts
- Processing orders, payments, and subscriptions
- Providing customer support and responding to your inquiries
Legal, compliance, and security purposes
- Complying with applicable laws, regulations, and publication ethics standards
- Detecting and preventing fraud, abuse, security incidents, and misuse of our services
- Enforcing our terms, policies, and contractual rights
Analytics and quality improvement
- Measuring and understanding readership, submissions, acceptance rates, and engagement
- Producing anonymized and aggregated reports for internal planning and for institutional partners
Communication and outreach
- Sending service related notices about your submissions, reviews, or accounts
- Sending you information about relevant journals, calls for papers, events, or services where permitted by law and your preferences
- You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by using unsubscribe links or contacting us.
Sale or Sharing of Personal Information
Under the CCPA/CPRA, “sell” and “share” have specific meanings that may include certain data disclosures in return for value or for cross context behavioral advertising, even where no money changes hands.
- Global Journals® does not sell personal information of California residents for monetary consideration.
- We do not share personal information for cross context behavioral advertising in the sense used by the CCPA/CPRA.
- We may disclose personal information to service providers and contractors that support our publishing and business operations under written contracts that restrict their use of the data to specified purposes.
If our practices change in a way that constitutes “sale” or “sharing” of personal information under California law, we will update this notice and provide the required “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link or equivalent mechanism.
We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of consumers under 16 years of age.
Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties
In the preceding 12 months, we may have disclosed the categories of personal information listed in Section 2 to the following categories of third parties for business purposes:
- Service providers and contractors that perform services on our behalf, such as hosting, infrastructure, analytics, email delivery, payment processing, and customer support
- Editorial and publishing partners, including editorial board members, reviewers, and collaborating institutions, where necessary for peer review and publication
- Professional advisers, auditors, and legal counsel
- Governmental, regulatory, or law enforcement authorities, when required by applicable law, legal process, or to protect our rights or the rights of others
- Other third parties in connection with a corporate transaction, such as a merger, acquisition, or transfer of assets, subject to applicable law
We do not authorize third parties to use your personal information for their own independent marketing purposes without your consent.
Retention of Personal Information
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this notice and in our main Privacy Policy, including to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, and to preserve the scholarly record.
Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the context. For example:
- Manuscripts, published articles, and peer review records may be retained for extended periods to maintain the integrity of the academic record and to comply with publication ethics standards.
- Account, billing, and transaction records are maintained for the duration of the relationship and for a period afterward as required by tax and financial laws.
- Technical logs and analytics data are retained for shorter periods where possible, consistent with security and operational needs.
When retention is no longer necessary, we will delete, anonymize, or securely de-identify the information in accordance with applicable law.
Your CCPA/CPRA Privacy Rights
As a California resident, you have the following rights regarding your personal information, subject to conditions and exceptions set out in the CCPA/CPRA.
Right to know and access
You have the right to request that we disclose:
- The categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you
- The categories of sources from which the information is collected
- The business or commercial purposes for collecting, using, or disclosing personal information
- The categories of third parties to whom we disclose personal information
Right to delete
You have the right to request that we delete personal information we collected from you, subject to certain exceptions, for example where we must retain data to comply with legal obligations or to maintain the scholarly record.
Right to correct
You have the right to request that we delete personal information we collected from you, subject to certain exceptions, for example where we must retain data to comply with legal obligations or to maintain the scholarly record.
Right to opt out of sale or sharing
If we ever engage in practices that constitute “selling” or “sharing” your personal information, you have the right to opt out of such sale or sharing at any time, including through a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link or similar mechanism.
Right to limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information
Where we process sensitive personal information beyond the purposes permitted by the CPRA, you have the right to request that we limit its use and disclosure to certain allowed purposes. At this time, we do not use sensitive personal information for additional purposes that would trigger this right.
Right to data portability
In some cases you may request to receive your personal information in a portable and, to the extent technically feasible, readily usable format, so that you can transmit it to another entity.
Right to non discrimination
You have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment because you exercise any of your rights under the CCPA/CPRA. We will not deny services, charge different prices, or provide a different level or quality of service solely because you exercise your privacy rights, subject to lawful exceptions such as permitted financial incentives.
How to Exercise Your Rights
California residents may exercise their privacy rights through any of the following methods:
Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the context. For example:
- Email: [email protected]
- Fax: +1-888-839-7392
- WhatsApp: +1-(805)-970-2292
- Address: Global Journals® Headquarters 945th Concord Streets,Framingham, Massachusetts, Pin: 01701 United States of America
Attn: Data Protection / Privacy
Please clearly state that your request is related to “CCPA/CPRA privacy rights” and specify which right you wish to exercise (for example access, deletion, correction).
We will:
- Confirm receipt of your request within the timeframe required by law
- Verify your identity using reasonable methods, which may include matching information you provide with information we already hold about you
- Respond to your request within the statutory time period, or inform you if we require more time as allowed by law
If we cannot fulfill your request because an exception applies or because we are unable to verify your identity, we will explain this in our response.
Authorized Agents
You may designate an authorized agent to submit certain requests on your behalf. If you use an authorized agent:
- We may require proof that you have given the agent signed permission to act for you
- We may require you to verify your own identity directly with us
- We may ask the agent to provide evidence that they are properly authorized and acting on your behalf
Authorized agents must comply with all relevant requirements under California law.
Financial Incentives
At this time, Global Journals® does not offer financial incentives, discounts, or different prices in exchange for the collection, retention, sale, or sharing of your personal information, as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA.
If we later introduce programs that qualify as a “financial incentive” under California law, we will provide a separate notice describing the material terms of the program and your rights, including your right to withdraw at any time.
Children’s Privacy
Our services are primarily intended for adults in academic, professional, and institutional contexts. We do not knowingly sell or share personal information of California consumers under 16 years of age. Where we are required to obtain consent on behalf of minors, we will follow the additional protections outlined in the CCPA/CPRA.
Changes to this CCPA & CPRA Privacy Policy
We may update this CCPA & CPRA Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or guidance issued by regulators such as the California Privacy Protection Agency.
When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this notice and may provide additional notice where appropriate. Your continued use of our services after any changes become effective constitutes your acknowledgment of the updated notice.
