🔒 Privacy Policy

1. Data Controller

Luca Fusar Bassini
Avenue de Cour
1007 Lausanne, Switzerland

Contact: newsletter@paperboatch.com
Website: paperboatch.com

2. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of the PaperBoat newsletter service, regardless of their country of residence. By subscribing to PaperBoat, which includes providing your explicit consent via the registration Form, you agree to the collection and processing of your personal data as described in this policy.

This policy complies with:

• The Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP/nLPD)
• The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Applicable international data protection standards

3. What Data We Collect

When you subscribe to PaperBoat, we collect the following personal data:

Data Type	Purpose	Storage Method
Name	Personalization of emails	Encrypted
Email address	Delivery of newsletter	Encrypted
Research interests	Content personalization	Encrypted
Article count preference	Newsletter customization	Plain text
Source preference	Journal/preprint ratio	Plain text
Preferred journals	Content filtering	Plain text
Scientific discipline	Content categorization	Plain text

Technical data we derive:

• A unique identifier (cryptographic hash of your email) for database management
• An embedding vector of your research interests for content matching

4. How We Use Your Data

Your data is used exclusively to:

1. Deliver personalized newsletters containing scientific papers relevant to your stated interests
2. Generate audio summaries (podcasts) of scientific content for subscribers in biological sciences
3. Create visual summaries (infographics) of selected papers
4. Improve content matching by analyzing the similarity between your interests and newly published papers
5. Communicate service updates when necessary

5. Automated Processing and Profiling

PaperBoat uses automated processing to personalize your newsletter:

• Interest Embedding: Your research interests are converted into a mathematical vector using machine learning (sentence embeddings) to match them with relevant scientific papers.
• Content Ranking: Papers are ranked based on similarity to your interests and journal quality scores.
• Discipline Classification: Your stated interests are automatically categorized into a scientific discipline for feature availability (e.g., podcasts for biological sciences).

This processing:

• Is based on your explicit consent
• Does not produce legal effects or similarly significant impacts
• Can be reviewed or contested by contacting us
• Is essential to providing the personalized service you requested

6. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data based on:

Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR / Art. 31 nLPD)
By completing the signup form and checking the consent box, you explicitly agree to the processing of your data for the purposes described in this policy.

Your consent is:

• Freely given (subscription is voluntary)
• Specific (limited to newsletter delivery and personalization)
• Informed (this policy explains all processing)
• Revocable (you can unsubscribe at any time)

7. Data Security

We implement the following security measures:

• Encryption: Your name, email, and research interests are encrypted using industry-standard Fernet symmetric encryption before storage.
• Hashing: Your email is hashed (SHA-256) to create a non-reversible unique identifier.
• Access Control: Database access is restricted to the data controller only.
• Secure Transmission: All data is transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS).
• Server Security: The server hosting your data is protected with standard security practices.

8. Third-Party Service Providers

We use the following third-party services to operate PaperBoat:

8.1 Google (Google Forms, Cloud Services)

• Purpose: Signup form collection, text-to-speech for podcasts, cloud storage
• Data shared: Form responses (temporarily), generated audio content
• Location: United States / Global
• Safeguards: Google's Data Processing Agreement, Standard Contractual Clauses
• Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

8.2 SendGrid (Twilio)

• Purpose: Email delivery
• Data shared: Email address, email content
• Location: United States
• Safeguards: Data Processing Agreement, Standard Contractual Clauses
• Privacy Policy: https://www.twilio.com/legal/privacy
• Note: SendGrid may collect email open and click data for delivery analytics

8.3 Podbean

• Purpose: Podcast hosting and distribution
• Data shared: None of your personal data (only audio content)
• Privacy Policy: https://www.podbean.com/privacy

8.4 Google Gemini API

• Purpose: Content generation (podcast scripts, infographics)
• Data shared: Scientific abstracts only (no personal data)
• Privacy Policy: https://ai.google.dev/terms

9. International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside Switzerland and the European Economic Area (EEA), specifically the United States, through our use of Google and SendGrid services.

These transfers are protected by:

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
• Data Processing Agreements with all service providers
• The providers' compliance with applicable data protection frameworks

10. Data Retention

• Active subscribers: Your data is retained for as long as you remain subscribed to PaperBoat.
• After unsubscription: Your data is deleted without undue delay, typically within 48 hours upon opting out, in any case within a short technical timeframe. There is no retention period after unsubscription.
• Backup data: Any backups containing your data are purged within 30 days of your unsubscription.

11. Your Rights

Under GDPR, nLPD, and other applicable laws, you have the following rights:

Right	Description	How to Exercise
Access	Request a copy of your personal data	Email us
Rectification	Correct inaccurate data	Update via signup form or email us
Erasure	Delete your data ("right to be forgotten")	Use opt-out option in form or email us
Restriction	Limit how we use your data	Email us
Portability	Receive your data in a portable format	Email us
Objection	Object to processing based on legitimate interests	Email us
Withdraw consent	Revoke your consent at any time	Use opt-out option or email us
Complaint	Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority	See Section 12

12. Supervisory Authorities

If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with:

In Switzerland:
Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC)
https://www.edoeb.admin.ch

In the EU:
Your local Data Protection Authority
List of EU Data Protection Authorities

13. Email Tracking Disclosure

Our email service provider (SendGrid) may collect the following analytics data:

• Whether you opened an email
• Whether you clicked on links in the email
• The time of these actions

Where possible, email analytics are minimized or disabled. Minimal email analytics are included in the consent given at signup. This data is used solely to monitor email deliverability and improve service quality. It is not used for advertising or shared with third parties.

14. Cookies

The PaperBoat website (paperboatch.com) does not currently use cookies or similar tracking technologies. If this changes, this policy will be updated accordingly.

15. Children's Privacy

PaperBoat is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately.

16. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be:

• Posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date
• Communicated via email for significant changes

Your continued use of PaperBoat after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

17. Contact Us

This Privacy Policy was drafted to comply with Swiss (nLPD) and European (GDPR) data protection regulations as of January 2026.