1. Scope of Application

This Privacy Statement applies to all personal information processed by the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development in connection with the following activities:

• Manuscript submission, peer review, editing, and publication processes;
• Interactions with the official website, affiliated platforms, and third-party services used for archiving and dissemination of the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development;
• Communications between individuals and the editorial office of the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development (including emails, letters, and other electronic messages);
• Participation in activities related to the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development (such as academic forums, reviewer training, and author workshops);
• Collection and processing of demographic information, contact details, and other personal data related to journal services.
• This Statement does not apply to third-party websites or services linked to the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development (such as indexing platforms, institutional repositories, or social media), which have their own privacy policies.

1. Information Collected and Collection Methods

2.1 Information Provided Voluntarily by Individuals

The Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development mainly collects personal information voluntarily provided by individuals when they use the journal’s services. The types of personal data collected include but are not limited to:

• Author information: Name, institutional affiliation, email address, phone number, ORCID identifier (Open Researcher and Contributor ID), and contact details of corresponding authors (collected during manuscript submission);
• Reviewer information: Name, institutional affiliation, research field, email address, and conflict of interest disclosures (collected for peer review purposes);
• Editor information: Name, institutional affiliation, contact details, and editorial responsibilities;
• Other information: Manuscript submission materials (including cover letters, abstracts, and supplementary materials), payment information (for manuscript processing fees), and survey responses (when voluntarily provided).

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When individuals access the official website of the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development or use its submission platform, the journal may automatically collect technical and usage data, including but not limited to:

• IP address, device type, browser version, and operating system;
• Pages visited, access time, and referring URLs;
• Session IDs, Cookie identifiers, and other tracking technologies (used to maintain session continuity and understand usage patterns);
• System event logs (such as login attempts, file uploads/downloads, and editorial decision records) for security and audit purposes.

2.3 Information from Third Parties

The Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development may receive personal information from publicly available databases, third-party service providers, or the ASA (such as member information), and combine this data with information already collected to update and improve its records. This helps the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development provide more accurate and relevant services to individuals.

III. Use of Collected Information

The personal information collected by the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development is only used to provide and improve journal services, comply with academic ethics, and fulfill its publishing responsibilities. Specific uses include:

• Manuscript processing: Managing the submission, peer review, editing, typesetting, and publication processes of manuscripts;
• Peer review management: Matching manuscripts with appropriate reviewers, communicating review invitations and feedback, and ensuring the confidentiality of the review process;
• Service communication: Notifying authors, reviewers, and editors of manuscript status, editorial decisions, and journal updates;
• Archiving and dissemination: Ensuring the long-term preservation and accessible dissemination of academic content (in line with the archiving policy of the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development), while protecting personal privacy;
• Service improvement: Analyzing usage data to optimize the submission platform, website functionality, and journal services;
• Compliance with legal and ethical requirements: Following ASA ethical guidelines, international publishing norms, and relevant data protection regulations.

1. Protection of Personal Information

The Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development takes strict measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, or destruction, including:

• Implementing secure data storage systems, including encryption technologies and access control mechanisms;
• Restricting access to personal information to authorized personnel (such as editorial staff and designated ASA employees) who have a legitimate need to process the information;
• Conducting regular security audits and updates to prevent data breaches;
• Requiring reviewers, editors, and staff to sign confidentiality agreements to protect the privacy of authors and the confidentiality of peer review records;

1. Disclosure of Personal Information

• Anonymizing or de-identifying sensitive personal information (such as reviewer identities in peer review records) where possible.
• Without prior consent, the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development will not disclose personal information to third parties, except in the following circumstances:
• To the ASA, for the purpose of complying with the association’s policies and providing integrated services;
• To third-party service providers who assist the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development in providing services (such as manuscript submission platforms, archiving services, and payment processors), and who are required to comply with this Privacy Statement and relevant data protection regulations;
• When required by law, court order, or government regulation;
• With explicit consent from the individual (e.g., sharing author contact information for academic collaboration, where authorized).
• To protect the rights, safety, or property of the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development, the ASA, authors, reviewers, or the public (in cases of fraud, abuse, or other violations of academic ethics);

1. Confidentiality of Peer Review and Sensitive Information

• The Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development strictly protects the confidentiality of peer review records and sensitive personal information, in line with academic publishing norms:
• Reviewer identities are kept confidential unless the reviewer explicitly consents to disclosure;
• Manuscripts, peer review comments, and editorial communications are treated as confidential and are not disclosed to unauthorized individuals;
• Sensitive information (such as personal data in research manuscripts) must be de-identified by authors before submission. Without proper ethical approval and consent, the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development will not process or disclose such information.

VII. Individual Rights

• Individuals whose personal information is collected by the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development have the right to:
• Request access to their personal information held by the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development;
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information;
• Request deletion of their personal information, where permitted by law;
• Lodge a complaint if they believe their personal information has been processed in violation of this Privacy Statement or relevant regulations.
• Withdraw consent for the use of their personal information (where applicable), without affecting the legality of prior processing;

VIII. Data Retention

• The Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development retains personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. After the retention period expires, personal information will be securely deleted or anonymized to prevent identification.
• Manuscript and peer review records: Retained in line with the archiving policy of the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development. After the required retention period, sensitive personal information will be anonymized;
• Contact and institutional information: Retained for as long as the individual is engaged with the services of the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development, or as required for academic and legal purposes;
• Automatically collected usage data: Retained for a limited period to improve services, then anonymized for analytical purposes.

1. Policy Updates

• This Privacy Statement may be updated periodically to reflect changes in data protection regulations, academic publishing practices, or the services of the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development. All updates will be published on the official website of the Journal of Asian Social Innovation and Development and will take effect immediately upon publication. Individuals are encouraged to review this Statement regularly.