Privacy Policy

1. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to visitors, members, applicants, newsletter subscribers, event participants, certificate holders, collaborators, research partners, and other individuals who interact with GNPRO through our website, online portals, email, messaging channels, forms, or related digital services.

This policy covers personal information collected through GNPRO pages and features, including contact forms, membership forms, newsletter forms, member validation tools, certificate verification tools, login areas, event or program registration pages, research collaboration submissions, and support channels.

2. Who We Are

Global Network Professional (GNPRO) is a professional and academic network that supports collaboration, research, capacity building, publications, conferences, training, professional development, and related knowledge-sharing activities.

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Information you provide directly

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to GNPRO, including:

• Full name and preferred name
• Email address, phone number, WhatsApp number, or other contact details
• Organization, institution, job title, profession, academic affiliation, or country
• Account, login, or profile information, where applicable
• Messages, inquiries, application details, support requests, or feedback
• Information submitted for events, courses, conferences, workshops, fellowships, research collaboration, publication, certification, or membership activities
• Certificate numbers, membership IDs, registration numbers, or validation codes entered into verification portals
• Payment, billing, or transaction-related information when a paid service or activity is offered through GNPRO or a third-party provider

3.2 Information collected automatically

When you access our website, certain technical and usage information may be collected automatically, such as:

• IP address
• Browser type, device type, operating system, and screen information
• Pages visited, referring pages, search terms, links clicked, and time spent on pages
• Date, time, and approximate location derived from IP address
• Cookie identifiers, session identifiers, and similar online identifiers
• Security logs used to detect spam, unauthorized access, malware, or abuse

3.3 Sensitive or special categories of data

Please do not send sensitive personal information unless it is necessary for a specific GNPRO service and we have expressly requested it. If a particular program requires additional categories of information, we may provide a separate notice at the point of collection.

4. How We Use Information

GNPRO may use personal information for the following purposes:

• Operating, maintaining, securing, and improving the GNPRO website and digital services
• Responding to inquiries, requests, applications, support messages, and collaboration proposals
• Managing memberships, accounts, profiles, programs, research collaboration, and professional networking activities
• Administering courses, training, workshops, events, conferences, fellowships, publications, certificates, and verification services
• Sending newsletters, announcements, invitations, updates, and promotional communications where permitted by law
• Verifying member status, certificates, credentials, attendance, participation records, or other GNPRO-issued records
• Analyzing website performance, improving user experience, and understanding usage trends
• Preventing fraud, spam, misuse, unauthorized access, security incidents, and other harmful activity
• Complying with legal, accounting, reporting, tax, audit, or regulatory obligations
• Protecting GNPRO’s rights, property, users, partners, reputation, and operations

5. Legal Bases for Processing

Where applicable under privacy law, GNPRO may process personal information based on one or more of the following legal grounds:

• Consent: when you agree to receive newsletters, participate in optional programs, or submit information voluntarily.
• Contractual necessity: when processing is required to provide a service, membership, event, course, certificate, or other requested activity.
• Legal obligation: when we must retain or disclose information to comply with applicable laws or lawful requests.
• Legitimate interests: when processing is necessary to operate, improve, secure, and protect GNPRO, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.

If we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

6. How We Share Information

GNPRO does not sell personal information. We may share information only when reasonably necessary for legitimate operational, service, legal, or safety purposes, including with:

• Website hosting, email, database, security, backup, analytics, and technical service providers
• Program, event, training, publication, certification, research, or institutional partners involved in delivering GNPRO activities
• Payment, registration, form, learning management, or communication platforms used to support GNPRO services
• Professional advisers, including legal, accounting, audit, compliance, or cybersecurity advisers
• Government authorities, courts, regulators, or law enforcement agencies when required by law or lawful process

We may also disclose information when necessary to investigate security incidents, enforce terms, prevent fraud or abuse, protect individuals, or support a reorganization, merger, transfer, or restructuring of GNPRO-related operations.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

GNPRO may use cookies, pixels, local storage, log files, and similar technologies to support website functionality, remember preferences, analyze website traffic, improve performance, and protect the website from misuse.

7.1 Types of cookies and technologies we may use

• Essential cookies: required for basic website operation, login sessions, security, and form functionality.
• Preference cookies: used to remember settings, preferences, or previous choices.
• Analytics cookies: used to understand how visitors use our website and improve content and performance.
• Communication tools: used for optional chat, notification, email, or messaging integrations.
• Security tools: used to detect spam, bots, suspicious traffic, or unauthorized access attempts.

You can usually manage cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect website functionality, including login, forms, verification tools, and security features.

8. Data Retention

GNPRO retains personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including to provide services, maintain records, resolve disputes, comply with legal obligations, enforce agreements, and protect our legitimate interests.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information, the service involved, legal requirements, operational needs, and whether the information relates to membership, certification, publication, finance, security, or event records.

9. Data Security

GNPRO uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

These safeguards may include access control, secure hosting practices, password protection, security monitoring, backups, limited administrative access, and other appropriate measures. However, no website, email transmission, server, database, or online storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

You are responsible for protecting your own information, including using strong passwords, keeping login details confidential, and being cautious when sharing personal data online.

10. International Data Transfers

GNPRO operates internationally and may work with cross-border collaborators, institutions, service providers, and digital platforms. As a result, personal information may be processed, stored, or accessed outside your country of residence.

Where required by applicable law, GNPRO will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are used for international data transfers.

11. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location and applicable privacy law, you may have rights regarding your personal information, including:

• The right to request access to the personal information we hold about you
• The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• The right to request deletion of personal information in certain circumstances
• The right to object to or restrict certain processing activities
• The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• The right to request data portability where legally available
• The right to unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time
• The right to lodge a complaint with a relevant data protection authority where applicable

To exercise these rights, please contact GNPRO using the contact details below. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

12. Children’s Privacy

The GNPRO website is not directed to young children for independent use without appropriate supervision. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children in violation of applicable law.

If you believe that a child has provided personal information to GNPRO improperly, please contact us so that we can review the matter and, where appropriate, delete the information.

13. Third-Party Links and Services

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, platforms, or services, including social media pages, partner websites, payment pages, publication portals, learning platforms, video platforms, and messaging tools.

GNPRO is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, security, or policies of third-party services. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party service you access through GNPRO links.

14. Changes to This Policy

GNPRO may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, operational practices, website features, or data protection standards. When we make updates, we will revise the effective date at the top of this page.

Your continued use of the website after an updated Privacy Policy is posted means you acknowledge the revised policy to the extent permitted by law.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions, requests, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or GNPRO’s handling of personal information, please contact us: