Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

The Nepalese Association for Clinical Chemistry ("NACC", "we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information when you visit nacc.org.np(the "Site") or engage with our services, including membership management, scientific events, abstract submissions, and academic publishing.

By using the Site and our services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

2. Who We Are

NACC is a non-governmental organization based in Kathmandu, Nepal, dedicated to advancing scientific research and clinical standards in laboratory medicine. We are affiliated with the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) and the Asia-Pacific Federation of Clinical Biochemistry (APFCB).

Privacy contact:
Email: info@nacc.org.np
Address: Kathmandu, Nepal

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Direct submissions

We collect personal data directly from you when you interact with our platform:

• Identity & professional data: name, honorifics, professional credentials (MD, MSc, PhD), institutional affiliation, department, CV, and biography.
• Contact information: email address, phone number, and mailing address.
• Academic contributions: scientific abstracts, research papers, peer reviews, and presentation materials.
• Transactional data: payment verification status and billing details, processed through PCI-DSS-compliant third-party gateways — NACC does not store full card numbers.

3.2 Automated data collection

When you browse the Site, some technical data is logged automatically:

• IP address, approximate geolocation, browser type and version.
• Device and operating system, screen resolution, and language settings.
• Page interactions, referring pages, and diagnostic logs.

3.3 Third-party sources

We may obtain or verify data through:

• Our content management infrastructure (Sanity CMS).
• Academic institutions, co-authors, and verifying regulatory bodies.
• Payment providers and identity-verification services.

4. Legal Bases for Processing

As a Nepal-based organization, our primary legal obligations come from Nepal's Individual Privacy Act, 2018 (2075 B.S.) and its accompanying Individual Privacy Regulation, 2020 (2077 B.S.). Where members, authors, or attendees are based in jurisdictions with their own data-protection frameworks (such as the EU's GDPR or California's CCPA/CPRA), we aim to honor the spirit of those rights wherever practicable, without claiming formal certification under those regimes.

We process personal data on the following bases:

• Contractual necessity: to process memberships, host conferences, issue event accreditation, and manage abstract review.
• Legitimate interest: to carry out our mission, keep the Site secure, prevent abuse, and improve the platform.
• Legal obligation: to meet statutory, financial, or audit requirements under applicable Nepali law.
• Consent: for direct electronic communications, marketing, or non-essential cookies — which you may withdraw at any time.

5. How We Use Personal Data

• Association operations: registry management, membership updates, credentialing, and member benefits.
• Academic & event management: processing submissions, publishing accepted work, indexing proceedings, and managing event registration.
• Communications: administrative updates, security notices, newsletters, and calls for papers.
• Analytics & improvement: understanding site usage and fixing technical issues.

We do not sell your personal informationto third parties, and we do not use it for purposes beyond what's described in this policy without asking you first.

6. Data Sharing and Cross-Border Transfers

Some of our infrastructure providers operate outside Nepal, so personal data may be stored or processed on servers in other countries (for example, our hosting and CMS providers). Where that happens, we rely on those providers' own security and contractual safeguards to protect your data in transit and at rest.

We may share information with:

• Infrastructure providers: our web host (Vercel), Sanity CMS, and related cloud storage or database services.
• Affiliated organizations: IFCC, APFCB, and allied scientific bodies, for credential verification or joint academic initiatives.
• Legal or regulatory authorities: only where required by valid legal process.

7. Data Retention Policy

We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected:

• Active membership records: for the duration of membership, plus 7 years for financial and regulatory recordkeeping.
• Event and conference logs: 3 years after the event concludes.
• Academic publications and abstracts: retained as part of the permanent academic record, unless withdrawn for a valid legal or ethical reason.
• Web logs and technical data: 24 months.

8. Your Data Protection Rights

Under Nepal's Individual Privacy Act (and, where applicable, frameworks such as GDPR or CCPA/CPRA for visitors from those regions), you may have the right to:

• Access or receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete records.
• Request deletion of your data where we no longer have a valid reason to keep it.
• Object to or restrict certain processing, including direct marketing.
• Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing that already took place lawfully.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@nacc.org.np. We aim to respond to verified requests within 30 calendar days.

9. Security Standards

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to protect personal data, including SSL/TLS encryption in transit, restricted access to systems that hold personal data, and routine software updates. No online service can guarantee complete protection against every possible breach, but we take these obligations seriously.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

The Site uses essential cookies for basic functionality (like session handling) and, where enabled, analytics cookies to understand how the Site is used. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time.

11. Updates to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes to our operations or to applicable law. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.

© 2026 Nepalese Association for Clinical Chemistry (NACC). All rights reserved.