Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

SouthAsia-IEN (South Asia International Education Network) is a nonprofit professional network headquartered in Denver, Colorado, USA. We connect higher education professionals across South Asia and the global South Asian diaspora. Our website is www.southasia-ien.org.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information you provide directly to us, including:

• Name and email address when you create a membership account or contact us
• Professional information (institution, title, country) as part of your member profile
• Payment information processed securely via our payment provider when joining or purchasing
• Communications you send us via contact forms or email

We also collect limited technical data automatically, including IP address, browser type, and pages visited via Google Analytics 4 to understand site usage.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve our services and member portal
• Process membership applications and payments
• Send you event announcements, program updates, and network news (you may unsubscribe at any time)
• Respond to your questions and support requests
• Understand how our website is used and improve its content

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Data Storage and Security

Member account data is stored securely via Supabase (supabase.com), which provides encrypted, SOC 2 compliant data storage. Payment processing is handled by our payment provider and we do not store full card numbers on our systems.

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data, but no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies for the purposes described below. Under GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, Colorado CPA, and India's DPDP Act, we obtain your consent before placing non-essential cookies. You may update your preferences at any time using the Cookie Settings link in our site footer.

Cookie Categories

Category	Purpose	Examples	Consent Required
Necessary	Maintain login session and basic site function	Supabase auth session token	No — essential to operate the site
Analytics & Performance	Understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. Legal basis: GDPR Art. 6(1)(a) (consent); DPDP Act 2023 §6 (consent).	Google Analytics 4 (_ga, _gid)	Yes — opt-in required
Marketing & Third-Party Sharing	Personalised content and outreach. Data may be shared with or used by third-party marketing services.	Third-party marketing pixels (if enabled)	Yes — opt-in required

Global Privacy Control (GPC)

We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal. If your browser sends a GPC signal, we automatically treat it as an opt-out of analytics and marketing cookies and of the sale or sharing of your personal information, consistent with California CPRA §1798.135(b) and Colorado CPA §6-1-1306. No action is required on your part.

Managing Your Preferences

You can update or withdraw your cookie consent at any time by clicking Cookie Settings in the site footer. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal. You may also disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect site functionality.

6. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

7. Your Rights by Jurisdiction

Your rights depend on where you are located. We honor applicable rights regardless of jurisdiction. To exercise any right, contact us at contact@southasia-ien.org.

EU / EEA / UK — GDPR & UK GDPR

Under GDPR, you have the right to: access your personal data (Art. 15); rectify inaccurate data (Art. 16); erasure ("right to be forgotten," Art. 17); restrict processing (Art. 18); data portability (Art. 20); object to processing (Art. 21); and withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing (Art. 7(3)). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

Our legal bases for processing are: (a) Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) for analytics and marketing cookies; (b) Contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b)) for membership account management; (c) Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) for security and fraud prevention.

California — CCPA / CPRA

California residents have the right to: know what personal information we collect and how it is used (Cal. Civ. Code §1798.100); delete personal information (§1798.105); correct inaccurate personal information (§1798.106); opt out of sale or sharing for targeted advertising (§1798.120); limit use of sensitive personal information (§1798.121); and non-discrimination for exercising these rights (§1798.125). We honor Global Privacy Control signals as an opt-out of sale/sharing (§1798.135(b)).

Colorado — Colorado Privacy Act (CPA)

Colorado residents have the right to: access personal data (C.R.S. §6-1-1303); correct inaccurate personal data (§6-1-1306); delete personal data (§6-1-1306); data portability (§6-1-1306); opt out of the processing of personal data for targeted advertising, the sale of personal data, or profiling (§6-1-1306); and appeal our decision if we deny a rights request (§6-1-1306(4)). We honor Global Privacy Control signals as an opt-out of targeted advertising and sale (§6-1-1306(1)(b)).

India — Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (DPDP Act)

Indian residents have the right to: access information about personal data processed (§11); correction and erasure of personal data (§12); grievance redressal (§13); nominate a person to exercise rights in the event of death or incapacity (§14). You have the right to withdraw consent at any time; withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful prior to withdrawal. All consent collected from users in India is free, specific, informed, and unconditional as required by §6 of the Act. Our contact for grievance redressal is contact@southasia-ien.org.

How to submit a request: Email contact@southasia-ien.org with your name, jurisdiction, and the specific right you wish to exercise. We will respond within 45 days (CCPA/CPRA/CPA) or 30 days (GDPR) of receipt. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

8. International Data Transfers

SouthAsia-IEN is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, USA. Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in the United States and other countries that may not have data protection laws equivalent to those in your jurisdiction.

We use the following service providers who may process personal data outside your country:

Provider	Purpose	Location	Transfer Mechanism
Google LLC	Analytics (Google Analytics 4)	USA	EU SCCs / Google Data Processing Terms; only with consent
Supabase, Inc.	Member database & authentication	USA	EU SCCs / Supabase DPA; SOC 2 compliant

For EU/EEA transfers, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) adopted by the European Commission (Decision 2021/914) as the transfer mechanism. For India, transfers are made in accordance with the DPDP Act 2023 and applicable government notifications.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law. Member account data is retained for the duration of membership and for up to 3 years thereafter for legitimate business and legal purposes. Analytics data (where consent is given) is retained per Google Analytics' default retention settings (14 months). Cookie consent records are retained for 3 years for compliance documentation.

10. Contact & Data Controller

Data Controller: SouthAsia-IEN (South Asia International Education Network)
Denver, CO 80224, USA
Email: contact@southasia-ien.org

For all privacy rights requests, questions, or complaints, contact us at the address above. EU/EEA residents may also contact their local data protection authority.

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.