Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 2025

Last Updated: 2025

1. Introduction

Welcome to NEU Link Alumni Platform ("we," "our," "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring you have a positive experience on our alumni networking platform. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our application and services.

By using our platform, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use our services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information You Provide

Account Information:

  • Email address (required)
  • Password (encrypted and stored securely)
  • Name and surname
  • Backup email address
  • Profile photo/avatar
  • Phone number
  • Birthday
  • Gender (male, female, prefer not to say)
  • Nationality
  • City and country
  • LinkedIn profile URL
  • Personal bio/description

Educational Information:

  • School/university attended
  • Faculty and department
  • Student/diploma number
  • Turkish ID or passport number
  • Start and end dates of education
  • Graduation year
  • Verification status and verification details

Professional Experience:

  • Company information
  • Job position and title
  • Industry
  • Employment start and end dates
  • Work location (city, country)
  • Personnel email (for NEU employment verification)

Job Applications:

  • Job postings you create
  • Job applications you submit
  • Application history and status

Content You Create:

  • Posts and content in the alumni feed
  • Saved posts and bookmarks
  • Comments and interactions

2.2 Information We Collect Automatically

Technical Information:

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Device information
  • Operating system
  • Time zone settings
  • User agent string
  • Request and response data

Usage Information:

  • Pages visited and features used
  • Time spent on the platform
  • Click patterns and navigation paths
  • Search queries
  • Error logs and performance data

Authentication Data:

  • Login timestamps
  • Session information
  • Two-factor authentication data
  • Password reset tokens and verification codes

2.3 Information from Third Parties

Google Authentication:

  • Google account information (when using Google Sign-In)
  • Google profile picture (if available)
  • Google account verification status

NEU Genius System:

  • Student verification data
  • Academic records (when applicable)
  • Enrollment status

Clerk Authentication Service:

  • Authentication tokens and session data
  • User verification information

3. How We Use Your Information

3.1 Primary Purposes

Platform Operations:

  • Provide and maintain our alumni networking services
  • Create and manage user accounts
  • Verify alumni and student status
  • Enable communication between alumni
  • Facilitate job postings and applications
  • Manage educational and professional profiles

Authentication and Security:

  • Verify user identity
  • Implement two-factor authentication
  • Prevent unauthorized access
  • Monitor for suspicious activity
  • Maintain account security

Communication:

  • Send important platform updates
  • Provide customer support
  • Send verification emails
  • Notify about job opportunities
  • Share alumni network updates

3.2 Secondary Purposes

Platform Improvement:

  • Analyze usage patterns to improve features
  • Develop new functionality
  • Optimize user experience
  • Conduct research and analytics

Legal Compliance:

  • Comply with applicable laws and regulations
  • Respond to legal requests
  • Protect our rights and interests
  • Maintain audit logs for security purposes

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

4.1 With Other Users

Public Profile Information:

  • Name and surname
  • Profile photo
  • Professional information (current position, company)
  • Educational background
  • Location (city, country)
  • LinkedIn profile
  • Bio/description

Alumni Network Features:

  • Job postings you create
  • Posts you share in the alumni feed
  • Professional achievements and updates

4.2 With Service Providers

Third-Party Services:

  • Sentry: Error monitoring and performance tracking
  • Azure Storage: File and image storage
  • Email Services: Transactional and notification emails
  • Google Services: Authentication and profile data
  • Clerk: User authentication and session management

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information when required by law or to:

  • Comply with legal obligations
  • Respond to government requests
  • Protect our rights and property
  • Ensure user safety
  • Prevent fraud or abuse

4.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of the transaction, subject to the same privacy protections.

5. Data Security

5.1 Security Measures

Technical Safeguards:

  • Encryption of sensitive data in transit and at rest
  • Secure password hashing using bcrypt
  • JWT tokens for secure authentication
  • Regular security updates and patches
  • Access controls and authentication requirements

Operational Safeguards:

  • Limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
  • Regular security audits and assessments
  • Employee training on data protection
  • Incident response procedures

5.2 Data Retention

  • Account Data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after account closure for legal and business purposes.
  • Audit Logs: Retained for security and compliance purposes as required by law.
  • Deleted Data: When you delete your account, we will remove your personal information, though some data may be retained in backups or for legal compliance.

6. Your Rights and Choices

6.1 Access and Control

Account Management:

  • Update your profile information
  • Change your password
  • Modify privacy settings
  • Delete your account

Data Access:

  • Request a copy of your personal data
  • Review what information we have about you
  • Export your data

6.2 Communication Preferences

Email Settings:

  • Opt out of marketing communications
  • Manage notification preferences
  • Control verification email frequency

6.3 Data Deletion

Right to Erasure:

  • Request deletion of your personal data
  • Remove your profile from the platform
  • Delete uploaded content and images

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in the "Contact Us" section.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

7.1 Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies:

  • Authentication tokens
  • Session management
  • Security features

Analytics Cookies:

  • Usage statistics
  • Performance monitoring
  • Error tracking

7.2 Cookie Management

You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences. However, disabling certain cookies may affect platform functionality.

8. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data during such transfers, including:

  • Standard contractual clauses
  • Adequacy decisions
  • Appropriate technical and organizational measures

9. Children's Privacy

Our platform is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us to have such information removed.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will notify you of any material changes by:

  • Posting the updated policy on our platform
  • Sending email notifications to registered users
  • Updating the "Last Updated" date

Your continued use of our services after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact Punica App Support Team:

Email: Email: privacy@punica.app

For data protection inquiries specifically, please use the subject line "Privacy Policy Inquiry" in your email.

12. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of TRNC and any disputes will be resolved in the courts of TRNC.

Note: This Privacy Policy is designed to be comprehensive and transparent about our data practices. We are committed to protecting your privacy and will continue to review and update our practices to ensure compliance with applicable laws and best practices.

Last Updated: 2025