Data Handling & Evidence Policy
Source integrity, access and record handling behind an assessment.
1. Different records, different purposes
Submitted material, fetched sources, assessment findings, account records and confidential contributor evidence are distinct record types. A public assessment should include only information suitable and necessary for its stated purpose.
2. Source integrity
A source-backed finding needs its URL or document reference, relevant excerpt or location, retrieval time, source type and the claim it supports. When retention is permitted, a snapshot or digest can help identify the version assessed. A digest establishes file identity, not truth.
If a source cannot be accessed, the status should be unavailable or not assessed. A retrieval error is not evidence that the organizer omitted the information. Source statements must remain distinguishable from independent corroboration.
3. Research and confidential submissions
Reported experiences can guide investigation. Receipts, correspondence and source records should be assessed for relevance, provenance, permission and corroboration before supporting a material finding. Duplicate reports are not independent corroboration.
Do not send stolen or unauthorized confidential records. Restricted research material must not be relabelled as publicly available evidence. Whether such material may be retained, relied upon or disclosed requires case-specific review. Contributor anonymity cannot be guaranteed against all lawful disclosure requirements.
4. Storage and service providers
The reviewed database project is hosted in Australia. Retrieval, OCR, AI, communication and payment features may use other providers and regions. No universal India-only residency or fixed deletion promise is made here.
Data-flow and retention details must be documented for each active feature. An institutional residency requirement needs a verified deployment and agreement, not an assumption based on this policy.
5. Access and sharing
Separate contributor evidence and internal research notes from shareable assessment records. Sharing a report does not justify sharing account identifiers, payment details, private complaints or internal access tokens.
Actual access settings and operational controls must be verified before promising isolation, universal MFA, complete audit logging or irreversible deletion. Contact support for institutional processing requirements.
6. Versioning and corrections
Reports should identify the assessment and methodology versions. A re-download of a saved snapshot should retain its original date; a fresh assessment should receive a new date.
Material corrections should identify the affected finding, reason and revision. A superseded report should not silently remain the current reference. These are publication standards to validate against the implemented workflow.
7. Requests and incident handling
Email support@scholarvault.in for access, export, deletion, evidence restriction or a data-handling concern. Include a report reference rather than unnecessary sensitive attachments; request an appropriate submission channel for confidential supporting material.
Retention exceptions, backup limitations and incident obligations must be handled according to applicable law and binding agreements.
Contact support · Version 2026-09-19-review