1. Who We Are
This Privacy Policy explains how Proud Pen ("we", "us", "our") processes personal data in connection with the International Conference on Communication and Media Studies (the "Event"), including this website, its forms, email communications, support channels, online sessions and photography or video at the Event.
It applies to authors, presenters, listeners, virtual participants, Scientific Committee members and reviewers, sponsor and partner contacts, and website visitors.
Contact: [email protected]
2. Summary
- We do not sell your personal data.
- We do not share registrant contact details with third parties, including sponsors, without your separate consent.
- We use registration information to administer your participation and, where permitted, to tell you about similar events organised by Proud Pen.
- We use cookies and similar technologies, as described in section 9.
3. Data We Collect
Submissions: titles, abstracts, keywords, paper files, names, institutions and email addresses of authors and co-authors, phone numbers, SMS preferences, any AI-use declaration and the version of the author AI policy displayed at submission.
Submission updates: original submission ID, reason for the request, revised files, change summary, response to reviewers, any revised AI-use declaration and the outcome of our check.
Registrations: attendee name, institution, email, phone number, address, participation type and fee tier; where someone registers on another person's behalf, the booking contact's name, email, optional phone number and relationship to the attendee.
Payments: payment and order records (amount, currency, status, transaction reference, invoices and receipts) and bank-transfer receipts.
Pro forma invoice requests: contact name and email, institution or company billing details, optional VAT or company number, attendee names and categories, requested items, instructions, request reference and the issued invoice record.
Invitation letters: only if you request a letter — name as shown in your passport, nationality, date of birth, passport number and passport expiry date.
Speaker profiles: for keynote speakers and confirmed presenters who agree to be listed — name, photo, institution, country, presentation title and any short biography you provide.
Feedback: for peer-review feedback, your name, paper title, optional email, ratings and comments; for conference feedback, your name, email, participation details, ratings and comments. Each response is linked to this Event.
Other contacts: messages sent through the contact, committee application and partnership forms, and newsletter subscriptions (name, email and whether you are interested as a presenter or listener).
Technical data: device, browser, IP address and usage data from cookies and similar technologies; with each form, the source or campaign, landing page, referrer and a country derived from your IP address.
Event recordings: photographs, video and recordings of sessions in which you may appear.
4. How We Use Your Data
- To administer the Event, including submissions, peer review, registration and online sessions
- To publish accepted work in the Abstract Book, proceedings and related archives
- To list keynote speakers and consenting presenters on the Speakers page and Home page
- To produce badges and certificates for each attendee
- To match and process submission update requests
- To prepare requested pro forma invoices and match institutional payments
- To issue invoices, receipts and invitation letters
- To send result and deadline notifications by email and, with your consent, by SMS
- To improve the review process and the conference experience using feedback
- To send newsletters and information about similar events
- To use Event photographs and video for documentation and promotion
- To send technical notices, updates, security alerts and support and administrative messages
- To respond to your comments, questions and requests, and provide support
- To meet legal obligations and protect against fraud and security risks
We periodically send newsletters and emails about our conferences and events. You can opt out at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in any email you receive. Even if you opt out, we may still send you notices about updates to our Terms & Conditions or this Privacy Policy.
5. Legal Bases
- Contract — registration, payment, invoices, certificates, submissions and participation
- Legitimate interests — Event operations and security, service improvement, limited marketing of similar events to existing participants, and reasonable use of Event photography and video
- Consent — SMS notifications, speaker profiles, sponsor communications, non-essential cookies, newsletter sign-up from the website and any dietary or accessibility information you choose to provide
- Legal obligation — tax and accounting records and lawful requests
6. Sharing Your Data
- Service providers — hosting, payment processing (PayPal), email and SMS delivery, similarity screening, online session platforms, analytics and security, under contracts that protect your data.
- Publication — author names, affiliations and paper titles appear in the programme, Abstract Book, proceedings and related archives. Applicable AI-use declarations may accompany published work; see the Generative AI Author Policy.
- Speaker profiles — published on this website only with the speaker's permission, and removed on request.
- Sponsors — only with your separate, explicit consent, which you can withdraw at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in any sponsor email. The registration form does not share your details with sponsors.
- Legal and safety — where required by law or to protect rights and security.
- Aggregated statistics — non-identifiable information, such as attendance by country.
Passport data is used only to produce your invitation letter and is never sent by SMS. Feedback is used internally to improve quality; it is not published as testimonials or added to marketing lists without separate permission. AI-use declaration records are kept separately from contact and reviewer records.
7. Payments
Card payments and PayPal-account payments are processed by PayPal; we do not store full card details. We do not directly collect other sensitive information, such as national identification numbers. Bank transfers are available, and bank details are provided in the registration form and on invoices.
8. International Transfers
Some service providers may be located outside the UK or the European Economic Area. Where data is transferred, we use lawful safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent mechanisms.
9. Cookies
We use strictly necessary cookies to run the website; performance and analytics cookies to understand how it is used; functionality cookies to remember preferences; and, with your consent, advertising cookies from partners such as Google, Meta and LinkedIn. You can manage your choices through the cookie banner on your first visit or through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect how the website works.
Advertising partners may use cookies and similar technologies to understand your interests from your browsing activity and show more relevant ads. Most browsers accept cookies automatically, but you can change your settings to decline them. Declining advertising cookies does not stop ads from appearing; they are simply less tailored to you.
10. Retention
- Financial and tax records: as required by law, up to 10 years
- Registration and support records: typically 2–3 years after the Event or your last interaction
- Marketing contacts: up to 3 years after your last interaction, or until you unsubscribe
- Passport data for invitation letters: stored encrypted and deleted 6–12 months after the Event
- Speaker profiles: kept on the Speakers page for this edition and in its archive, unless you ask us to remove them
- Feedback responses: [conf_feedback_retention]
- AI-use declarations and policy versions: kept with the submission record for as long as that record is retained
- Published work: kept long-term as part of the scientific record
- Photographs and video: kept for documentation and promotion unless you object and removal is feasible
11. Your Rights
Depending on applicable law, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict or transfer your data, to object to processing including direct marketing, and to withdraw consent at any time. To exercise your rights, contact [email protected]. You may also complain to your data protection authority.
12. Security
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures, including encryption in transit, access controls and vendor checks. No online service is completely secure, but we work continuously to protect your information.
13. Children
The Event is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect children's data unless necessary for participation, and in that case only with a parent's or guardian's consent.
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy. The "Last updated" date shows the current version, and we will take reasonable steps to notify you of material changes.