Privacy Policy – PhilScholar®

Effective Date: July 1, 2025
Applies To: All users of philscholar.com

Updated as of June 8, 2026

Philscholar® (“we,” “our,” or “the platform”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our users, including students, parents, educators, researchers, collaborators, and partner organizations. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and disclose information collected through our website, tools, contact forms, and associated services. While we aim to make our content widely accessible, we also ensure your information is handled with transparency and care.

By accessing or using Philscholar.com, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

1. Scope and Purpose

This Privacy Policy applies to all information collected via:

  • Philscholar.com
  • Forms, surveys, and newsletter sign-ups
  • Emails sent to our official address
  • Submissions by partners, organizations, or scholarship providers
  • Analytics and ad services are integrated on the platform

This policy also outlines our data protection standards and user rights under the Philippine Data Privacy Act of 2012 (R.A. 10173).

2. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide Directly or Voluntarily:

We may collect personal data when you:

  • Fill out a contact form
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Email us with inquiries or submissions
  • Submit scholarship or academic program details

Data may include:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Institution/Organization (if provided)
  • Program details or flyers
  • Messages or content you submit

We do not collect sensitive personal information (e.g., government-issued IDs, medical records) unless specifically required with your consent.

B. Information Collected Automatically

When you use our site, we may collect:

  • Device type and browser
  • IP address
  • Pages visited and time spent
  • Referring to website links
  • Cookies (used for functionality, preferences, analytics)

C. Cookies and Tracking Tools

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Improve website functionality
  • Save user preferences
  • Analyze user behavior through Google Analytics
  • Display limited ads through Google AdSense (if applicable)

Users can disable cookies via their browser settings, but doing so may affect site functionality.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

  • Respond to inquiries and submissions
  • Publish public-facing scholarship or program content
  • Deliver email updates and newsletters (with consent)
  • Improve our platform performance and user experience
  • Monitor and protect the website from misuse or malicious activity
  • Display relevant ads to help fund platform operations

We do not use your data for profiling, cross-platform advertising, or third-party data resale.

4. Information from Partners, Organizations, and Program Providers

We collaborate with government agencies, educational institutions, NGOs, and scholarship platforms. When organizations submit content or information, we:

  • Store only what is relevant or needed
  • Use submitted materials solely for educational, outreach, and publication purposes
  • Request consent before publishing logos, images, or detailed information

All confidential communications or sensitive submissions are protected and not disclosed publicly without a written agreement.

5. Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

Philscholar® respects all non-disclosure or confidentiality agreements made with institutions, individuals, and collaborators. Any data, proposal, or partnership detail shared under an NDA or with a request for privacy:

  • Will not be disclosed, published, or shared
  • Will be securely stored and accessed only by authorized personnel
  • Will not be used outside the intended purpose or agreement

We uphold professional and ethical standards in all partner relationships.

6. Legal Disclosure and Compliance

We may disclose personal data only when:

  • Required by Philippine law or government agencies (e.g., by warrant or legal order)
  • Necessary to prevent fraud or enforce security
  • Responding to lawful requests by public authorities (e.g., data audits or investigations)

In all cases, we follow strict legal procedures and ensure user rights are protected.

7. Operational Use and Business Transparency

Philscholar® is an independently run educational platform. We:

  • Operate using ad revenue to support research, writing, and platform maintenance
  • Use data internally for performance tracking and user engagement analytics
  • Do not sell or rent any user data under any circumstances

All monetization and tracking methods are minimal, relevant, and privacy-conscious.

8. Links to Third-Party Websites

Our website may link to external sites, including:

  • Scholarship providers
  • Research tools
  • Educational institutions
  • Partner platforms

Philscholar® does not control or take responsibility for the privacy policies, practices, or content of these external websites. Users are advised to review the privacy terms of any third-party site before providing personal information.

9. What We Don’t Do

We strictly do not:

  • Sell or trade your data
  • Use personal data for profiling or behavioral advertising
  • Track users across unrelated websites
  • Store unnecessary or excessive user data
  • Send unsolicited commercial emails (spam)

10. Children’s Privacy

Philscholar® does not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 13. If we discover that we have collected such information without parental consent, we will promptly delete it.

If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information, please contact us immediately.

11. Ezoic Services

This website uses the services of Ezoic Inc. (“Ezoic”), including to manage third-party interest-based advertising. Ezoic may employ a variety of technologies on this website, including tools to serve content, display advertisements and enable advertising to visitors of this website, which may utilize first and third-party cookies.

A cookie is a small text file sent to your device by a web server that enables the website to remember information about your browsing activity. First-party cookies are created by the site you are visiting, while third-party cookies are set by domains other than the one you’re visiting. Ezoic and our partners may place third-party cookies, tags, beacons, pixels, and similar technologies to monitor interactions with advertisements and optimize ad targeting. Please note that disabling cookies may limit access to certain content and features on the website, and rejecting cookies does not eliminate advertisements but will result in non-personalized advertising. You can find more information about cookies and how to manage them here.

The following information may be collected, used, and stored in a cookie when serving personalized ads:

  • IP address
  • Operating system type and version
  • Device type
  • Language preferences
  • Web browser type
  • Email (in a hashed or encrypted form)

Ezoic and its partners may use this data in combination with information that has been independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements across various platforms and websites.

Ezoic’s partners may also gather additional data, such as unique IDs, advertising IDs, geolocation data, usage data, device information, traffic data, referral sources, and interactions between users and websites or advertisements, to create audience segments for targeted advertising across different devices, browsers, and apps.

You can find more information about interest-based advertising and how to manage them here.

You can view Ezoic’s privacy policy here, or for additional information about Ezoic’s advertising and other partners, you can view Ezoic’s advertising partners here.

12. Policy Updates and Changes

We may revise this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect updates in our practices, tools, partnerships, or legal requirements.

When updated, the Effective Date at the top of this page will change. We encourage users to review this page occasionally. Continued use of the website indicates acceptance of any revised policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please contact:

Philscholar® Editorial Team
✉️ connect.philscholar@gmail.com

We respond to all privacy-related inquiries within a reasonable time frame.

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Final Statement

Philscholar® is committed to protecting your privacy. We collect only what is necessary, use it responsibly, and honor confidentiality in every partnership. While we serve as a public resource hub for Filipino learners, we treat your data with care and transparency, never for exploitation, always for support.

Your trust powers Philscholar®. Thank you for being part of our learning community.

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