Privacy Policy
Effective Date: August 30, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Research Roomies ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares information when you use our website and services. By using the Service, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
1. Introduction
Research Roomies provides a platform where academics can connect and coordinate shared travel expenses for conferences. We value your privacy and collect only the information necessary to operate and improve the Service.
We do not sell your personal information.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information that you voluntarily submit and some information automatically generated when using the Service.
User-submitted information
| Data Type | Obtained Via | Disclosed To/ Accessibility |
|---|---|---|
| Email Address | User Entry | Not publicly visible; email is shared with a user when either (1) you send an inquiry to their post OR (2) you respond to an inquiry to your post |
| Conference Information | User Entry | Publicly viewable on our website |
| Academic position and institution | User Entry | Required on each post and publicly viewable on our website |
| Content you voluntarily post | User Entry | Publicly viewable on our website |
Publicly Posted Information
Information that you voluntarily include in a post or otherwise make publicly available through the Service may be viewed by anyone who can access the website, including people who do not have a Research Roomies account. Publicly posted information may also be copied, saved, or shared by others. Please do not include personal or sensitive information in a public post that you do not want to make publicly available.
Reports and Communications
If you report a post, contact Research Roomies, or otherwise communicate with us, we may collect the information you provide, including your email address and the contents of your communication.
Automatically collected information
We do not use third-party analytics or advertising trackers, and we set no tracking cookies. The technical data that reaches us is what any website necessarily receives, together with what our infrastructure providers log on our behalf:
- Request and network data. Your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you request, and the time of each request are logged by Cloudflare, which hosts and delivers the Service. We use these logs only to operate, debug, and secure the site, and they are retained for a short period.
- Bot protection. Every page loads Cloudflare Turnstile, which we use to keep automated traffic off our sign-in and posting forms. Turnstile receives your IP address and characteristics of your browser in order to tell people apart from bots. When you submit a protected form, we also send your IP address to Cloudflare to validate the result.
- Third-party assets. Every page loads fonts from Google Fonts (
fonts.googleapis.com,fonts.gstatic.com) and a JavaScript library from the jsDelivr CDN (cdn.jsdelivr.net). Requesting those files discloses your IP address and browser type to those providers. We send them nothing else about you. - Aggregate usage counts. Cloudflare reports totals such as request and error counts to us. These are aggregate figures about the site, not per-user records.
Cookies
We set exactly one cookie, rr_session, and only after you sign in. It holds a signed token identifying your account so that you stay logged in; it cannot be read by JavaScript, is sent only to this site, and expires after 30 days or when you log out. We use no analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies. Cloudflare may set its own cookies as part of protecting the site from automated traffic.
We do not track users across third-party sites, and we do not build advertising or behavioral profiles.
3. How We Use Information
We use collected information to:
- Operate and maintain the website
- Facilitate user-to-user connections
- Respond to reports and inquiries
- Investigate potentially fraudulent, abusive, or prohibited activity
- Enforce our Terms of Service
- Improve site safety and functionality
We do not verify identity information provided by users.
Academic Email Requirement
Research Roomies currently requires an .edu email address to create an account and use account-based features such as posting and contacting other users. This requirement does not prevent members of the general public from browsing the website or viewing publicly available posts and other content. Possession of an .edu email address does not mean that Research Roomies has independently verified a user's identity, academic status, affiliation, or intentions.
4. When We Share Information
We may share information:
- With other users, when you choose to interact with them
- To comply with law or valid legal process
- To protect the rights, property, or safety of Research Roomies or others
- To enforce our Terms of Service
- As part of a transfer of ownership if Research Roomies is acquired or reorganized
- With third-party service providers that help us host, operate, secure, authenticate, analyze, or otherwise provide the Service
Third-party service providers may process information on our behalf as necessary to provide their services. We do not share personal information for advertising or marketing.
The providers we currently rely on are:
| Provider | Purpose | Information It Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | Hosting, content delivery, database, and bot protection (Turnstile) | Your IP address, browser and device type, and the pages you request; everything you submit through the site passes through it, and your account and post data are stored there |
| Mailgun | Sending login links, inquiry notifications, and report notifications | The recipient's email address and the contents of the message, including your email address when you send an inquiry |
| Google Fonts | Web fonts loaded on every page | Your IP address and browser type |
| jsDelivr | JavaScript library loaded on every page | Your IP address and browser type |
| Buy Me a Coffee | Voluntary donations | Nothing unless you follow the donation link, after which that provider's own privacy policy applies |
5. Data Retention
We retain personal data only as long as needed to provide the Service and meet legal obligations. Backups may retain residual information temporarily.
6. Security
We take reasonable measures to help protect your data. However, no online service is completely secure. Use caution when interacting with others through the site and when sharing information.
If we become aware of a data breach affecting personal information, we will take reasonable steps to notify affected users as required by law.
7. State & Regional Privacy Rights
We comply with applicable U.S. privacy laws. If your state provides specific privacy rights, you may contact us at admin@researchroomies.com to exercise them.
8. International Users
The Service is operated in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, processed, and stored in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those in your country. We do not specifically market the Service to users outside the United States.
9. Your Choices
You may request deletion of your account and personal information by contacting us at admin@researchroomies.com. Some information may be retained where required by law, necessary for legitimate administrative purposes, or contained in backups that cannot be immediately modified.
Information that you have voluntarily made publicly available through the Service may have been copied or saved by other users or third parties. We cannot control or guarantee the deletion of copies of publicly available information that have been made by others.
10. Donations
We may offer voluntary donation links through third-party services such as Buy Me a Coffee. We do not collect or store payment card or banking information associated with donations. Donation transactions are processed by the applicable third-party provider and are subject to that provider's privacy policy. Donations are voluntary and do not create any obligation to provide a particular service or benefit.
11. Updates
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The date above reflects the latest version. Continued use of the Service after updates constitutes acceptance. We will notify users of material changes where legally required.
12. Contact
If you have questions or privacy requests, contact us at: admin@researchroomies.com