Borealis Privacy Statement

Introduction

Borealis, the Canadian Dataverse Repository, is a digital research data repository available to researchers at participating Canadian universities and research organizations with infrastructure hosted by the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) in Ontario, Canada. This privacy statement explains what data we collect through the use of Borealis, how this information is treated, and for what purpose. By using Borealis, you acknowledge and accept these privacy practices governing the service. Please note we are not responsible for the privacy practices of third party websites or applications that may link to or from Borealis.

Privacy policy

Borealis respects your privacy. All information provided by you while using the service (such as your name, email address, and institutional affiliation) can only be accessed by Borealis staff and by designated library staff from your own institution. This data is collected for the purposes of registration, enabling and administering access to the service, management of the repository and institutional collections, and for statistical reporting. Borealis staff and library staff from your institution are required to act in accordance with applicable provincial privacy legislation. Questions about institutional privacy practices should be directed to your institutional collection administrator.

Which data are collected?

• When you register for an account with Borealis, we collect your first and last names, email address, institutional affiliation (if any), and (optionally) position or job title.
• Dataset guestbooks are an optional feature that can be used to collect data about who is downloading the files from datasets. If the guestbook feature is activated for a particular dataset, then any information voluntarily provided in the guestbook is made available to the Dataverse collection administrator.
• When you access this web site, our web server software records the IP address of your computer and any activity in web server logs.
• When you perform actions in the system, such as accessing a dataset or editing permissions, they are recorded in the database, along with the username if the user is logged in. If the user is not logged in, information about the user is not included.
• We also use Matomo Analytics to aggregate traffic and usage data on how our users are using Borealis.

How is the information used?

Borealis only records and processes data necessary for a specific purpose.

• Account information is processed for the purposes of registration, allowing access to the Scholars Portal systems, management of the repository and institutional collections, and for statistical reporting to funding agencies and your local institution.
• Data collected using the optional Guestbook feature is used for the purposes of managing access to files by the Dataverse collection administrator at their discretion.
• We use your IP address and files you access to help diagnose problems with our servers and to administer our website, such as identifying which parts of our site are most heavily used. We also use this information to tailor site content to user needs and to generate aggregate statistical reports.
• We use actions recorded in the database for troubleshooting user errors.
• Matomo Analytics is used to improve the functionality of Borealis.

We do not share any data we collect from or develop about our users to any third parties for any purpose unless required by law. Any reports we may share externally would use unidentifiable, aggregated data.

Securing and retention of data

Borealis secures your information to prevent misuse or unauthorized access. For more information on our security practices, see Technology Infrastructure and Security Information.

In principle, your data are not retained any longer than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which the personal data are collected.

Exercising your privacy rights

If Borealis processes your data on the basis of your consent, you have the opportunity to withdraw your consent at any time by requesting your account to be deleted. From that moment on, Borealis will no longer process any of your personal data.

If you have questions, please contact the Borealis team.

Changes to this Privacy Statement

Borealis may revise this privacy statement at its sole discretion. Please check this page regularly for our current practices. If you have any questions about this privacy policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site, please contact the Borealis team.