Your Privacy Matters

Privacy Policy

Last updated: December 29, 2024

At IEEE at UCSD, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your data.

1. Information We Collect

What data we gather and why

Personal Information

  • Name, email address, and profile picture (from Google OAuth or email signup)
  • Academic information (major, graduation year, student PID, IEEE member ID)
  • Contact preferences, display settings, and accessibility preferences
  • Payment information (Zelle details for reimbursements only)
  • IEEE email address and credentials (when you request an @ieeeucsd.org account)

Activity Data

  • Event attendance records, check-in codes, food preferences, and participation points
  • Account creation date, last login time, and authentication method used
  • Reimbursement requests, receipts, and financial transaction records
  • Resume files (optional, stored only if you choose to upload for sponsor sharing)
  • Event files and attachments uploaded by officers

Technical Information

  • IP addresses (for security and session management)
  • Browser type, version, and device information
  • Authentication method (Google OAuth or email/password)
  • Session cookies for authentication and preference storage (no analytics tracking)

2. How We Use Your Information

The purposes for data processing

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Membership Management: Process memberships, track participation, manage user roles and permissions, and provide organizational services
Event Management: Register attendees, track check-ins, manage food preferences, award participation points, and sync with calendar
Financial Operations: Process reimbursement requests, parse receipts using AI, maintain financial records, and manage fund deposits
Career Services: Share resumes with sponsors (only with your explicit consent) and provide networking opportunities
Communication: Send organizational updates, event notifications, reimbursement status updates, and manage IEEE email services
Security: Prevent unauthorized access, detect fraud, maintain system integrity, and protect member data
Legal Compliance: Meet organizational requirements, comply with university policies, and fulfill regulatory obligations

3. Information Sharing and Disclosure

Who has access to your data

Within Our Organization

  • Officers: Executive and General Officers may access member data for organizational management, event coordination, and reimbursement processing
  • Sponsors: Silver tier and above sponsors may access resume database (only with your explicit consent)
  • Webmaster: Receives notifications about IEEE email account creation and system administration

Third-Party Service Providers

Google Firebase

Purpose: Primary data storage, authentication, and file hosting
Data Shared: All user data, files, and authentication credentials
Location: United States (Google Cloud)
Services Used: Firestore (database), Cloud Storage (files), Authentication

Resend

Purpose: Transactional email delivery service
Data Shared: Recipient email addresses, names, and email content (invitations, notifications, reimbursement updates, event updates)
Privacy Policy: resend.com/legal/privacy-policy

MXRoute

Purpose: Email hosting provider for @ieeeucsd.org accounts
Data Shared: Email account credentials, email content, and mailbox data (only for users who request IEEE email accounts)
Privacy Policy: mxroute.com/privacy-policy

OpenRouter AI

Purpose: AI-powered receipt parsing for reimbursement automation
Data Shared: Receipt images and extracted text data (only when you submit reimbursements)
Privacy Policy: openrouter.ai/privacy

Important: AI Data Processing

Reimbursement receipts, event invoice data, and any other data uploaded to AI services is processed by third-party AI providers and is outside of our direct control once transmitted. We use AI solely to parse and extract data for improved efficiency and automation. Please note that AI-generated results may sometimes be inaccurate, and we recommend reviewing all AI-parsed data for correctness before submission.

Google Calendar API

Purpose: Event calendar integration and synchronization
Data Shared: Event names, dates, locations, and descriptions (public event information only)
Privacy Policy: policies.google.com/privacy

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, subpoena, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of our members and organization. We will notify affected users when legally permitted.

4. Data Storage and Security

Where and how we protect your data

Storage Locations

Primary Storage: Google Firebase (Firestore database and Cloud Storage) with data centers in the United States
Email Services: MXRoute servers for IEEE email hosting (location may vary based on service configuration)
Backups: Automated encrypted backups maintained by Firebase for disaster recovery

Security Measures

End-to-end encryption for data in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest
Role-based access controls enforced through Firebase Security Rules
Regular security audits and dependency updates
Secure authentication using Google OAuth 2.0 and Firebase Authentication
Automated backups and disaster recovery procedures

5. Data Retention

How long we keep your information

Active Members: Personal information retained while membership is active and account is in good standing
Inactive Accounts: May be suspended or archived after extended periods of inactivity (typically 2+ years)
Event Data: Attendance records and participation history maintained indefinitely for organizational records and leaderboards
Financial Records: Reimbursement data and receipts retained for 7 years to comply with tax and audit requirements
Legal Obligations: Some data may be retained longer if required by law, legal proceedings, or university policies

Data Deletion: Members may request data deletion by contacting the webmaster. We will comply with deletion requests subject to organizational record-keeping requirements and legal obligations.

6. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Access and Portability

  • Request access to your personal data
  • Receive a copy of your data in a portable format
  • Review your account information and activity

Modification and Deletion

  • Update your personal information
  • Request correction of inaccurate data
  • Request deletion of your account and data
  • Withdraw consent for optional data processing

Resume Management

You may delete your resume from our platform at any time by going to your account Settings page and removing it from your profile. This will prevent your resume from being shared with sponsors in the future.

Important Notice

Please note that once your resume has been shared with or downloaded by sponsors, we cannot retrieve or delete those copies. Sponsors may retain resumes in their own recruiting systems independently of our platform. We recommend only uploading your resume if you are comfortable with it being distributed to our sponsor partners.

To exercise these rights, contact the Webmaster at [email protected]

7. Cookies and Tracking

How we use cookies on our site

No Analytics or Tracking

We do not use Google Analytics, third-party tracking pixels, or advertising cookies. We only use essential cookies required for the website to function properly.

We use minimal cookies and similar technologies to provide essential functionality:

Authentication Cookies (Essential)

Required for login, session management, and secure access to your account. These cookies cannot be disabled as they are essential for the website to function.

Preference Cookies (Functional)

Remember your display preferences (theme, language), accessibility settings, and notification preferences to enhance your experience.

Local Storage

Used to cache data locally for offline functionality and improved performance. This includes theme preferences and temporary form data.

Browser Controls: You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences. Note that disabling essential cookies will prevent you from logging in and using authenticated features of the website.

8. International Data Transfers

Cross-border data processing

Our primary data storage is located in the United States through Google Firebase services. By using our services, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States.

We ensure that any international data transfers comply with applicable data protection laws (including GDPR where applicable) and maintain appropriate safeguards for your personal information through:

  • Google's compliance with EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework
  • Standard contractual clauses with service providers
  • Encryption and security measures for data in transit

9. Changes to This Policy

How we notify you of updates

We may update this privacy policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or new features. Significant changes will be communicated through:

Email notifications to active members
Prominent notices on our website and dashboard
Updated effective date at the top of this policy

Important: Continued use of our services after policy changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. If you disagree with changes, please contact us or discontinue use of the service.

10. Contact Information

If you have questions about this privacy policy or our data practices, please contact:

IEEE at UCSD Webmaster

Email: [email protected]

For urgent privacy concerns, please include "PRIVACY" in the subject line.

This privacy policy is maintained by IEEE at UCSD, a student organization at the University of California, San Diego. We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable data protection laws.

This privacy policy was last reviewed on January 1, 2026. For the most current version, please visit this page directly.

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