Privacy Statement

Polytechnic University of the Philippines Online Services

Introduction

The Polytechnic University of the Philippines ("PUP" or "University") provides you access to its online services, including its official Website (www.pup.edu.ph), apps (Web, mobile and desktop), social media channels, associated media, digital materials, online/electronic documentation, and University information (collectively referred to as "Services"). The Services, its updates, enhancements, new features, and/or the addition of any new online service are subject to this privacy statement.

PUP is very much aware in protecting your privacy and personal information. This privacy statement discloses the data we collect from you and how we use it.

This privacy statement only applies to the Services. Other sites or apps that has a link from the Services may have a separate privacy statement.

Collection of Personal Data

PUP collects data to operate effectively and provide you the best experiences with our Services. You provide some of this data directly, such as when you register for an entrance test/exam online, submit a search query to the PUPWebSite, send us feedback online, upload media to the PUP Media Gallery, participate in the PUP Online Survey, purchase a book from the PUP Bookstore, sign up for PUP WebMail or Office 365, or contact us for inquiries and technical support. We get some of it by recording how you interact with our Services by, for example, using technologies like cookies, and receiving error reports or usage data from Services running on your device.

We also obtain data from third parties. We protect data obtained from third parties according to the practices described in this statement and any additional restrictions imposed by the source of the data. These third-party sources vary over time, but have included:

  • Social network when you grant permission to PUP Services to access your data on one or more networks,
  • Service providers that help us determine a location based on your IP address in order to customize certain services to your location,
  • Partners with which we offer co-branded services or engage in joint research activities, and
  • Publicly-available sources such as open government databases or other data in the public domain.

You have choices about the data we collect. When you are asked to provide personal data, you may decline. But if you choose not to provide data that is necessary to provide a service or feature, you may not be able to use the Services.

The data we collect depends on the Services you use, and can include the following:

Name and contact information.

We collect your first, middle and last name, and (if available) name prefixes and suffixes (based on your Philippine Statistics Office birth certificate), email address, postal and mailing address, phone and mobile number/s, and other similar contact information.

Credentials.

We collect student numbers, passwords, password hints, and similar security information used for authentication and account access.

Demographic data.

We collect data about you such as your date of birth, age, sex, country, religion, written and spoken language/s, and occupation (if applicable).

Payment data.

We collect data necessary to process your payment if you pay fees online, such as your payment instrument number (such as a reference number), and the security code associated with your payment instrument. The University uses LANDBANK's Electronic Payment System for its PUP Online Payment. LANDBANK collects data necessary to process your payment, such as your payment instrument number (such as a ATM number), and the security code associated with your payment instrument.

Device and Usage data.

We collect data about your device and how you and your device interact with our Services.

Technical Support Data.

When you engage PUP for technical support, we collect data about you and your hardware, software, and other details related to the support incident. Such data includes contact or authentication data, the content of your message and other communications with PUP support, data about the condition of the machine and the application when the fault occurred and during diagnostics, and system data about software installations and hardware configurations.

Content.

We also collect the content of messages you send to us, such as feedback and reviews you write, or questions and information you provide for technical support. When you contact us, such as for technical support, messages during sessions with our offices and/or employees may be monitored and recorded.

Physical appearance.

If you enter the University premises or other facilities, your image may be captured by our security cameras. Furthermore, your recent photo may be required when registering for an entrance test or exam, and when applying for a PUP ID.

Use of Personal Data

PUP uses the data we collect for three (3) fundamental purposes:

  • To operate as a higher education institution (HEI) and provide (including improving and customizing) the services we offer,
  • To send communication, including informative communication, and
  • Promote the University, whether in our Services or in third-party services supported by advertising.

In carrying out these purposes, we combine data we collect to give you a more seamless, consistent and customized experience. However, to enhance privacy, we have safety measures designed to prevent certain data combinations. For example, when you are not yet authenticated (or not signed in), we store data we collect from you separately from any account information that directly identifies you (such as your name, email address or contact number).

Providing and improving our Services.

We use data to provide and improve the Services we offer and perform essential HEI operations. This includes operating the Services, maintaining and improving the performance of the Services, including developing new features, research, and providing technical support.

Communications.

We use data we collect to deliver and personalize our communication with you. For example, we may contact you by email or other means to inform or remind you of announcements and advisories that are specific to user types (student, alumni, applicant, faculty and/or employee), let you know when updates in the Services are available, update you or inquire about a technical support or repair request, invite you to participate in PUP Online Survey, or tell you that you need to take action to keep your account secured and active.

Advertising.

Some of our Services are supported by advertising. We share the data we collect with third parties such as Office 365 (PUP WebMail), and social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) so that they can select and deliver some of the ads you see on their sites and apps, as well as other sites and apps serviced by these solution providers.

Please note that some of our Services include links to third-party products and services whose privacy practices differ from the University. For more information on how third parties protect your privacy, here are the links to their privacy statement:

Rationale in Sharing Personal Data

We share your personal data with your consent or when necessary to complete any transaction or provide services you have requested or authorized. For example, we share your content with third parties when you tell us to do so, such as when you send an email using Office 365, share photos and documents on OneDrive and/or SharePoint, or link accounts with third-party services. When you provide data, such as your name, to pay your tuition or application fee using PUP Online Payment, we will share that data with our partner bank/s and other entities that process online payment transactions, and for fraud prevention and risk reduction.

In addition, we share personal data with partners working on our behalf for the purposes described in this statement. For example, third parties and/or partners that provides technology support or assist in protecting and securing our systems and services, or provide career opportunities for students and alumni may need access to personal data to provide those functions. In such cases, these companies must abide by our data privacy and security requirements and are not allowed to use personal data they receive from us for any other purpose.

Finally, we will access, transfer, disclose, and preserve personal data, including your content (such as the content of your emails in PUP WebMail, Outlook.com, or files in private folders on OneDrive), when we have a good faith belief that doing so is necessary to:

  • Comply with applicable law or respond to valid legal process, including from law enforcement or other government agencies,
  • Protect our stakeholders, for example to prevent spam or attempts to defraud users of third-party products or services, or to help prevent the loss of life or serious injury of anyone,
  • Operate and maintain the security of our Services, including prevention or stopping an attack on our computer systems, networks, IT infrastructure, or
  • Protect the rights or property of PUP, including enforcing the terms governing the use of the Services - however, if we receive information indicating that someone is using our Services to traffic in stolen intellectual or physical property of PUP, we will not inspect a user's private content ourselves, but we may refer the matter to law enforcement.

Accessing Your Personal Data

PUP Student Information System (PUP SIS).

If you are currently enrolled and have an active account in the PUP SIS, you can always go to the PUP Office of the University Registrar or PUP Branch/Campus Registrar to have your personal information updated. As such, you are required to present your PUP ID and required supporting documents.

PUP Human Resource Information System (PUP HRIS).

If you are currently employed, you can always go to the PUP HRIS 201 module to have your personal information updated. All changes made will undergo validation and approval from your supervisor and the PUP Human Resource Management Department (PUP HRMD). As such, you are required to present your PUP ID and required supporting documents.

PUP Online Document Request System (PUP ODRS).

If you have an active account in the PUP ODRS, you can always go to the PUP ODRS profile module to have your personal information updated.

PUP iApply.

If you registered online for an entrance test/exam of the University, (for PUP Sta. Mesa, Manila) you can always go to the PUP ICT Office Helpdesk or (for PUP Branches and Campuses) go to the PUP Office of the Branch/Campus Registrar and Admissions to have your personal information updated. As such, you are required to present a valid ID (school ID or any government-issued ID) and required supporting documents.

Third-party product and services.

You can view or edit your personal data online for third-party products and services. You can also make choices about third-party's collection and use of your data. How you can access or control your personal data will depend on which products and services you use.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

The Services use cookies (small text files placed on your device) and similar technologies to provide information to our Web sites and Services, and to help collect data. The text in a cookie often consists of a string of numbers, letters and special characters that uniquely identifies your device, but it can contain other information as well. Third-party technologies use other identifiers for similar purposes, and many of our Services and third-party providers also contain web beacons or other similar technologies.

Our Use of Cookies and Similar Technologies:

  • Sign-in and Authentication. When you sign into the Services or third-party providers using your PUP account, we store a unique ID number, and the time you signed in, in an encrypted cookie on your device.
  • Remembering your Preferences and Settings. Settings that enable our Services to operate properly or that maintain your preferences over time may be stored on your device.
  • Interest-Based Advertising. Third-party providers use cookies to collect data about your online activity and identify your interests so that the provided ads are most relevant to you.
  • Analytics. In order to provide services, cookies and other identifiers are used to gather usage and performance data.

How to Control Cookies:

Most modern Web browsers automatically accept cookies and provide controls that allow you to block or delete them. Certain features of the Services depend on cookies. Please be mindful that if you choose to block or disable cookies, you may not be able to sign in or use specific features, and preferences that are dependent on cookies may be gone.

User Account

With a user account, you can sign into the Services. Signing into your account enables access to specific services, permits you to access and use third-party services. When you sign into your account to access a Service, that is recorded and maintained. If you sign into a third-party service with your user account, you may be asked to consent to share the account data required by that service. With your @pup.edu.ph account, you can sign into third-party services such as Office 365 and OneDrive.

Creating and using your user account.

When we create your work or school account, you will be asked for certain personal data and required documents as proof of your current status in PUP (currently employed or enrolled), and a unique ID number will be generated to identify your account and associated information.

Signing in.

When you sign into the Services, we create a record of your sign-in, which includes the date and time, information about the Service you signed into, your sign-in name, the unique number assigned to your account, a unique identifier assigned to your device, your IP address, your operating system and Web browser version.

Signing into third-party services.

If you sign into a third-party service using your work or school account, you will be asked to consent to share the account data required by that service. You should carefully review the privacy statement for each third-party service you sign into and each merchant you purchase from to determine how it will use the data it collects.

Security of Personal Data

PUP is committed to protecting the security of your personal data. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal data from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. For example, we store the personal data you provide on computer systems that have limited access and are in controlled facilities. When we transmit highly confidential data (such as your name or password) over the Internet, we protect it through the use of encryption.

Location where your Personal Data is Stored and Processed

Personal data collected by the PUP through the Services are stored and processed in the University data center, in your region or in any other country where PUP or its service providers maintain facilities. Office 365 maintains data centers in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia.

Typically, the primary storage location of your personal data is in the Philippines, often with a backup to a data center in another region. The storage location(s) are chosen by Office 365 in order to operate efficiently, to improve performance, and to create redundancies in order to protect the data in the event of an outage or other problem. We ensure that the data we collect via the Services are processed according to the provisions of this privacy statement and the requirements of applicable law.

Retention of Personal Data

The University retains personal data for as long as necessary to provide the services and fulfill the transactions you have requested or may request in the future, or for other essential purposes such as complying with our commitments, legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our agreements. Because these needs can vary for different data types in the context of different products, actual retention periods can vary significantly.

The criteria used to determine the retention periods include:

  • How long is the personal data needed to provide the services operated by the University?
  • Do users provide, create, or maintain the data with the expectation we will retain it until they affirmatively remove it?
  • Is PUP subject to a legal, contractual, or similar obligation to retain the data?

Collection of Data from Minors

The University collects data from applicants or users below 18 years of age, which is necessary to provide the Services (particularly for Junior and Senior High School). Their user account is treated much like any other account. The minor may have access to communication services like email, instant messaging and online message boards and may be able to communicate freely with other users of all ages.

Preview and Beta Releases

The Services offer preview, beta or other pre-released versions and features ("Previews") to enable you to evaluate them while providing feedback, including performance and usage data, to the University or the third-party provider. As a result, previews can automatically collect additional data, provide fewer controls, and otherwise employ different privacy and security measures than those typically present in the Services. If you participate in previews, we may contact you about your feedback or your interest in continuing to use the particular online service after general release.

Enforcement of this Privacy Statement

In our quest to uphold our commitment to protecting the privacy of your Personal Information, the University discloses its information practices, and to have its privacy practices reviewed for compliance. If you have questions regarding this statement, you can contact us by e-mail: dataprivacy@pup.edu.ph

Changes to this Privacy Statement

We will update this privacy statement when necessary. When we make changes to this statement, we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of the statement. For material changes to the statement, or in how PUP will use personal data, we will post notifications in the PUPWebSite and official PUP social media channels. We encourage you to periodically review this privacy statement to learn how the University is protecting your information.

Contact Information

The University welcomes your input and suggestions regarding this privacy statement, or if you have a data privacy concern or a question for the PUP Data Privacy Officer, please contact us by e-mail.

PUP Online Services Privacy Statement

Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Information and Communications Technology Office

dataprivacy@pup.edu.ph

Table of Contents