Privacy Policy
Our privacy model
The Network is designed to minimize collection of personal information and to avoid receiving PHI or identifiable patient information. The public-launch model is professional research, education and collaboration—not patient care, medical-record storage, clinical messaging or a personal health record.
Information the platform may collect
Professional and administrative information may include a user’s name, professional email address, institution or organization, account/security information, paper-submission metadata, DOI or publication links, publicly available abstract text, professional discussion content, correction requests and other information a user voluntarily provides for Network functions.
Protected health information and identifiable patient information
Do not submit PHI or identifiable patient information anywhere on the Network or by email. This includes patient names, medical-record or account numbers, dates or other identifiers associated with an individual, addresses or contact details, identifiable photographs or images, identifiable DICOM data, case notes, treatment records, billing information, raw identifiable datasets, or combinations of information that could reasonably identify a patient.
The Network does not provide a patient-file upload function. Submission features are intended for professional information, official publication links, public source text and appropriately de-identified research discussion.
De-identified research information
Research information should be de-identified before it reaches the Network. Where HIPAA applies to the source organization, users are responsible for ensuring de-identification is performed under an applicable method, such as HIPAA Safe Harbor or Expert Determination, and for complying with institutional, research, ethics and other legal requirements. The Network does not undertake de-identification of PHI on behalf of users or institutions.
Accidental PHI or patient-information submissions
If the Network becomes aware of possible PHI or identifiable patient information, administrators may promptly restrict access to or remove the material, preserve only the records reasonably necessary for incident assessment, investigate the scope and recipients, and seek appropriate legal/privacy guidance regarding any notification or other obligations. Users should report suspected privacy incidents immediately to the administrator and should not resend the sensitive information in the report.
Worldwide Researchers directory
The directory uses a deliberately minimal set of professional information derived from public scholarly publications and authoritative professional sources: name, institution, country, specialty and AI/radiation-oncology research focus, with supporting scholarly links. It does not display personal email addresses, telephone numbers, photographs, home addresses, private biographies or patient information. Inclusion does not indicate membership, ranking, verification or endorsement.
How information is used
Information may be used to administer the professional platform, review submissions, moderate content, respond to requests, maintain security, operate accounts when enabled, prepare administrator-reviewed research/news drafts, and improve Network resources. Radiation Oncology AI Network does not sell personal information or health information.
Tracking and advertising
The initial launch is not intended to use behavioral advertising, health-data profiling or advertising trackers. Before adding analytics, cookies or other tracking technologies that transmit user information to third parties, the Network will review the data flows and applicable privacy requirements.
AI processing
Publicly available publication text may be processed to prepare draft summaries for administrator review. PHI, identifiable patient information and confidential institutional information must never be entered into AI processing through the Network. AI drafts are not published automatically.
Service providers and future HIPAA-regulated work
Hosting, database, authentication, email, AI processing and related infrastructure may involve third-party service providers. The Network will review vendors and data flows before production use. If the Network later agrees to create, receive, maintain or transmit PHI on behalf of a HIPAA covered entity or business associate, that function will require a separate legal, security and vendor review, including appropriate Business Associate Agreements where required, before the function is enabled.
Security and data minimization
The Network will use reasonable safeguards appropriate to the information it is designed to hold, limit access to administrative functions, and retain information only as reasonably necessary for platform operations, security and legal obligations. No internet service can guarantee absolute security.
Your choices
Users may request correction or deletion of account-related information and researchers may request correction or removal of directory information by contacting the administrator, subject to legal, security and technical requirements.
Children
This professional platform is not intended for children under 13 and is not designed to collect children’s patient information.
Changes and legal scope
This policy may be updated as features, vendors, jurisdictions and legal requirements change. A no-PHI design reduces privacy risk but does not eliminate obligations under other applicable federal, state or international privacy laws.