Welcome to the Arab Forum of Science Media and Communication’s Privacy Policy page.

A. Introduction

We value your privacy and are dedicated to protecting it. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and share your personal information when you visit and interact with our website at https://arabforumsmc.com/.

By using our website and agreeing to our cookie notice upon your first visit, you consent to the use of cookies as described here.

B. Collecting Personal Information

We may collect, store, and use the following types of personal information:

• Device information, such as your IP address, geographical location, browser type and version, and operating system details.
• Details about your visits to this site, including referral source, visit duration, and pages navigated.
• Information provided during account registration such as your email address.
• Transaction data like your name, email address, address, phone number, and payment details provided during ticket purchases.
• Data generated while using this website, such as usage times and frequency.
• Information provided for fellowship applications which may be shared with supporting organizations.
• Any other personal data voluntarily submitted.
• We may also collect anonymized or aggregated data that cannot be used to identify you.

Note: Before disclosing personal information about others, you must obtain their consent for its disclosure and processing under this policy.

C. Use of Your Personal Information

The information we collect may be used for the following purposes:

• Managing and maintaining the website.
• Personalizing your website experience.
• Enabling access to website services.
• Processing transactions and delivering purchased products or services.
• Sending administrative communications like invoices and payment notifications.
• Responding to inquiries and complaints.
• Sending newsletters, updates, and marketing communications, with your consent (if you don’t want it anymore, you can easily unsubscribe or let us know through Info@scicommx.com)
• Providing statistical information to third parties after your consent (non-identifiable data only).
• Ensuring website security and fraud prevention.
• Facilitating compliance with our terms and conditions.
• Sharing relevant fellowship application data with fellowship supporters.

D. Disclosure of Personal Information

We prioritize protecting your personal information and ensure it is handled securely.

We may disclose your personal information:

• To employees, advisors, agents, or subcontractors as necessary for the purposes described in this policy. We require all parties with access to your data to maintain its confidentiality and use it strictly for the intended purpose.
• To our affiliates or subsidiaries, as needed.
• When required by law or legal proceedings.
• To establish, exercise, or defend our legal rights.
• To the buyer (or potential buyer) of any business or asset that we are selling (or intend to sell).
• To any person or entity as required by court orders or competent authorities.

We will not share your personal information with third parties for their direct marketing without your explicit consent.

E. International Data Transfer

Your information may be stored or processed in countries outside of your place of residence, depending on our operational needs.

The information we collect may be transferred to the following countries that do not have data protection laws equivalent to those in the European Economic Area: the United States, Russia, Japan, China, and India. We take reasonable steps to ensure your data is protected under applicable legal standards during international transfers.

Note: By using our services, you consent to such transfers.

F. Retention of Personal Information

We retain your personal data only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy or comply with legal obligations.

• Personal data not actively used is deleted promptly.
• Documents containing personal data may be securely retained if required for legal or security purposes.

G. Security of Your Personal Information

We employ reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data from loss, misuse, or unauthorized access. These include:

• Secure servers with password and firewall protection.
• Encryption for financial transactions.
• User responsibility for password confidentiality.

While we implement strong security measures, no method of data transmission over the Internet or storage system is completely secure.

H. Children’s Online Safety

Protecting children on the internet is one of our top priorities. We strongly encourage parents and guardians to actively observe, participate in, and guide their children’s online activities to ensure a safe and positive experience.

Our website does not knowingly collect any personally identifiable information (PII) from children under the age of 13. If you suspect that your child has shared personal information through our website, please contact us promptly. We will take swift action to remove the information from our records and ensure their privacy is protected.

I. Amendments

We may update this policy periodically. Updates will be published on this page, and significant changes may be communicated via email or website notifications. We encourage you to review this policy regularly to stay informed about how we are protecting your personal information.

J. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we store about you.
• Correct, update, or request the deletion of your personal data.
• Opt out of receiving marketing communications.
• We may require verification of your identity before fulfilling your requests.

K. Third-Party Websites

Our website may include links to third-party websites. Please note that we are not responsible for the privacy practices or policies of these external sites.

L. Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your website experience. Cookies may be persistent (stored until their expiration date) or session-based (deleted when you close your browser).

You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings, but doing so may affect website functionality.

Below are the names of the cookies we use on our website and the purposes for which they are used:

• We use Google Analytics and AdWords on our website to:
  • Track user activity and improve website functionality.
  • Analyze website performance and user engagement.
  • Customize the site for individual users.
  • Display targeted advertisements relevant to users.

• Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies – for example:
  • In Internet Explorer (version 10), you can block cookies using the available cookie handling override settings by clicking on “Tools,” “Internet Options,” “Privacy,” and then “Advanced.”
  • In Firefox (version 24), you can block all cookies by clicking on “Tools,” “Options,” “Privacy,” selecting “Use custom settings for history” from the drop-down menu, and unchecking “Accept cookies from sites.”
  • In Chrome (version 29), you can block all cookies by accessing the “Customize and Control” menu, clicking “Settings”, “Show advanced settings,” “Content settings,” and selecting “Block sites from setting any data” under the “Cookies” heading.

• Banning all cookies will have a negative impact on the ease of use of many websites. If you block cookies, you won’t be able to access all the features on our website.

• You can delete cookies that are already stored on your computer, for example:
  • In Internet Explorer (version 10), you must manually delete cookies (instructions can be found at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/278835).
  • In Firefox (version 24), you can delete cookies by clicking on “Tools” and “Options” and then selecting “Use custom settings for history”. Click “Show Cookies” and then “Remove All Cookies”.
  • In Chrome (version 29), you can delete all cookies by accessing the “Customize and Control” menu, clicking on “Settings,” then “Show advanced settings,” and finally, “Clear browsing data.” Select “Delete cookies and other site and plug-in data” before clicking “Clear browsing data.”
  • Deleting cookies will have a negative impact on the ease of use of websites.

If you have any other questions or inquiries regarding our privacy policy, please contact us at info@scicommx.com.