Privacy Policy
Last updated October 6, 2025
This Privacy Policy describes how the Africa Network for Critical Security Scholars (ANeCS) collects, uses, and shares information about you through our website, located at our associated domains, and through communications you send to us (collectively, the “Services”).
The website for ANeCS is hosted by Hosting.com.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information primarily to operate the Services, communicate with our network members, and share research and news. The types of information we collect fall into two categories:
A. Information You Directly Provide to Us
You may provide us with the following types of information when you interact with our Services:
- Membership Data: Information collected via our dedicated membership form, which may include your full name, title, professional affiliation, academic degrees, mailing address, telephone number, and specific research interests.
- Partnership Data: Information collected via our dedicated partnership form, which typically includes the organization’s name, primary contact person’s name and title, organizational mailing address, official email, website, and a description of the proposed collaboration.
- Contact and Identity Data: Your email address (e.g., when signing up for a newsletter or emailing info@anecs.net), professional affiliation, and job title.
- Correspondence Data: Information you include in emails, comments, or other communications when contacting us directly.
- Survey and Event Data: Information you provide when registering for an event, submitting a paper, or responding to a questionnaire.
B. Information Collected Automatically
As is true of most websites, our web host (Hosting.com) and integrated third-party services automatically collect certain information about your device and how you interact with our website, primarily through cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies. This data includes:
- Usage Data: Details about the pages you view, the links you click, the time you spend on the site, and the paths you take through the Services.
- Technical Data: Your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, and geographic location derived from your IP address.
- Analytics Data: Data collected by tools like Google Analytics to measure website traffic and performance.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Legal Basis (Where Applicable, e.g., in the EU) |
| Partnership Development (NEW) | Necessary for the performance of a contract or to take steps at your request before entering a contract (assessing, negotiating, and formalizing collaborations). |
| Membership Management | Necessary for the performance of a contract (providing membership services, benefits, and maintaining the member roster). |
| To Provide and Maintain the Services | Necessary for our legitimate interests (site functionality and security). |
| Communication | Necessary for our legitimate interests (responding to inquiries, sending non-marketing updates). |
| Newsletters and Promotions | Based on your consent (opt-in for email lists). |
| Analytics and Improvement | Necessary for our legitimate interests (improving our content, website performance, and user experience). |
| Security and Legal Compliance | Necessary for our legitimate interests (protecting our Services) and compliance with a legal obligation. |
3. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell your personal data. We only share it with the following parties and for the purposes described below:
- Service Providers and Web Host: We share information with our current web host, Hosting.com, and other third parties who perform services on our behalf (e.g., membership database software, email service providers, security partners) to enable the functioning of the Services and manage our activities. These parties are contractually obligated to protect your data.
- Partnership Entities: If a partnership is formalized, we may share relevant contact details and organizational information with the partnering organization to facilitate the collaboration. This is done based on the necessity of entering into or performing the partnership agreement.
- Internal Network Communication (Members Only): With your consent or as necessary for the core function of a network, your basic professional information (e.g., name, affiliation, research area) may be shared internally with other ANeCS members to facilitate collaboration. We will not share your email address or personal contact information with other members without your explicit permission.
- Legal and Regulatory Authorities: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, or if we believe that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation or protect the rights, property, or safety of ANeCS, our members, or the public.
- Third-Party Tools: We use third-party tools (e.g., social media share buttons, embedded research viewers) that may collect data directly from you subject to their own privacy policies.
4. Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purpose of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
- Partnership Data: We retain Partnership Data for the duration of the collaborative relationship and for a period thereafter as required by legal or internal auditing requirements.
- Membership Data: We retain Membership Data for the entire duration of your active membership and for a period thereafter (e.g., 1-3 years) in case you wish to renew, or as required by law.
- Other Data: Email subscription data is retained until you unsubscribe. Analytics data is typically aggregated and anonymized after a short period, or retained for the duration set by the analytics provider.
5. Your Choices and Rights
You have rights regarding your personal data. Depending on your location, these may include:
- Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction: You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
- Objection to Direct Marketing: You can opt out of marketing emails at any time by using the “unsubscribe” link found at the bottom of our emails.
- Withdrawal of Consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent for any processing activities you have previously consented to (e.g., receiving newsletters or having your data shared internally).
- Deletion (Right to be Forgotten): You may request that we delete your personal data, including your membership or partnership records. Note that we may be legally required to retain certain information.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@anecs.net.
6. Data Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the personal data we collect. However, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, ANeCS cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk.
7. Updates to this Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of the Policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically for any changes.
8. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
Africa Network for Critical Security Scholars (ANeCS)
Email: info@anecs.net