Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to PRISM (Protection, Risk & Impact Severity Monitor), a humanitarian analytics platform. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data transparently in compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Data Controller: PRISM Platform
Contact: info@prismonitor.eu

2. Information We Collect

Account information (when you register):

• Email address
• Password (bcrypt-hashed — we never store plaintext passwords)
• Institution name and professional role (optional)

Usage data (when you use the platform):

• Pages visited and features accessed
• Login timestamps and session duration
• Browser type and operating system (via User-Agent header)

Cookie data (see Section 5 below for details).

3. How We Use Your Information

• Platform access: Authenticate users and manage access tiers
• Service improvement: Understand usage patterns to improve features and performance
• Communications: Send platform updates and newsletters (via Mailchimp — you can unsubscribe at any time)
• Academic research: Aggregate, anonymized usage statistics may be used in academic publications about humanitarian data platform design
• Security: Prevent unauthorized access, detect abuse, and maintain platform integrity

4. Data Security

We implement the following security measures:

• Passwords are hashed with bcrypt (industry-standard one-way encryption)
• All connections use HTTPS/TLS encryption in transit
• Database files are stored on Render's persistent disk with access controls
• Admin access requires a separate password-based authentication
• CSRF protection on all state-changing requests
• Session cookies use the SameSite=Lax attribute

5. Cookies

PRISM uses cookies as follows:

Cookie	Purpose	Type	Duration
session	Maintains your login state	Essential	Browser session
prism_analytics_consent	Records your cookie preference	Functional	1 year

When you first visit PRISM, a cookie consent banner asks for your preference. You can change your choice at any time by clearing your browser's localStorage and cookies for this site.

We do not use third-party tracking cookies. No data is shared with advertising networks, social media platforms, or third-party analytics services.

6. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties, except:

• Mailchimp (newsletter service): If you subscribe to updates, your email is processed by Mailchimp under their privacy policy
• Render.com (hosting provider): Your data is stored on Render's infrastructure under their privacy policy
• Legal requirements: If required by law or court order

7. Your Rights (GDPR)

Under the GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access your personal data — request a copy of all data we hold about you
• Rectification — request corrections to inaccurate personal data
• Erasure — request deletion of your account and associated data
• Restriction — request that we limit processing of your data
• Portability — receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Object — object to processing of your data for research purposes
• Withdraw consent — withdraw cookie consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, email info@prismonitor.eu. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Humanitarian Data

PRISM displays publicly available humanitarian data from organizations including OCHA, ACLED, ACAPS, OECD, UNICEF, IOM, and others. This data is sourced from public APIs and open datasets. PRISM does not collect, store, or process any personally identifiable information about affected populations.

9. Children's Privacy

PRISM is designed for professional humanitarian analysts, researchers, and policymakers. We do not knowingly collect information from individuals under 16 years of age.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Significant changes will be communicated via email to registered users. The "Effective Date" at the top of this page indicates the latest revision.

11. Contact

For privacy-related questions, data access requests, or concerns:

PRISM Platform
Email: info@prismonitor.eu