Privacy Policy

1. Overview

The Institute for Multiscale Matter and Systems (IMMS) is a National Research Laboratory at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. As a non-profit academic research institute, we are committed to protecting the privacy of every individual who interacts with our public website.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect through the IMMS website (imms.ewha.ac.kr), how we use and protect it, and what rights you have over your information. We comply with the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) of the Republic of Korea and all applicable Ewha Womans University regulations. By using this website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy.

This policy applies solely to the IMMS public website. It does not apply to any internal university systems, research data management systems, or third-party platforms linked from this site.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly: When you submit a contact or collaboration inquiry through our website forms, we collect your name, email address, organizational affiliation, and the content of your message. If you use the join/application form, we additionally collect your phone number and any resume or document you choose to attach. Providing this information is voluntary; however, without it we cannot process your inquiry.

Information collected automatically: When you visit our website, our web server automatically records standard access log data including your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and timestamps. This information is used solely for security monitoring and aggregate traffic analysis. We also use Google Analytics to collect anonymized behavioral data such as session duration, pages viewed per session, and general geographic region. No personally identifiable information is transmitted to Google Analytics.

Information we do not collect: We do not collect sensitive personal information such as national identification numbers, financial account details, health or medical information, biometric data, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, or religious beliefs. We do not run user accounts or maintain login profiles on this website.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes: (a) to respond to your inquiry, research collaboration request, or job application; (b) to verify your identity as a sender and to follow up by email or phone as appropriate; (c) to maintain server security and detect unauthorized access attempts through log analysis; (d) to improve the content, structure, and accessibility of the IMMS website using aggregate, anonymized analytics data; and (e) to comply with legal obligations under Korean law and Ewha Womans University policy.

We process your personal information only within the scope described above. We do not use your information for automated decision-making, profiling, or any commercial marketing activity. We do not sell, rent, exchange, or otherwise transfer your personal information to third parties for commercial purposes.

4. Sharing Personal Information

We do not share your personal information with third parties except in the following limited circumstances: (a) with Ewha Womans University administrative offices where required for the institutional processing of your inquiry or application; (b) with service providers who assist us in operating this website (currently limited to web hosting and Google Analytics), each of whom is contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only as directed; (c) where required by applicable Korean law, court order, or legitimate request from a public authority.

Any service provider or partner who receives personal information from IMMS is required to handle it in accordance with PIPA and with at least the same level of protection described in this policy. We do not permit service providers to use your personal information for their own independent purposes.

5. Cookies & Analytics

The IMMS website uses a small number of cookies. Strictly necessary cookies are required for the site to function correctly — they manage your session and remember your language preference (English or Korean) during your visit. These cookies are deleted when you close your browser and cannot be disabled without affecting site functionality.

We also use Google Analytics (a service provided by Google LLC) to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics sets persistent first-party cookies that store an anonymized identifier; it collects data such as pages visited, session duration, device type, and broad geographic region. This data is aggregated and cannot be used to identify you personally. You may opt out of Google Analytics tracking at any time by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on (available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout). For full details on all cookies this site sets, please see our Cookie Policy.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected. Contact and inquiry form submissions are retained until your inquiry has been fully resolved, after which they are permanently deleted without delay. Application form submissions are retained for the duration of the evaluation process and destroyed upon conclusion. Server access logs are retained for a maximum of 90 days and are then automatically purged.

Anonymized Google Analytics data, which cannot be used to identify you, is retained for 14 months in accordance with Google's default retention settings. We retain data for longer periods only where required by applicable Korean law or Ewha Womans University record-keeping policy. When personal information is no longer required, it is destroyed by secure deletion methods that prevent recovery.

7. Your Rights

Under the Personal Information Protection Act of the Republic of Korea (Articles 35–37), you have the following rights with respect to personal information we hold about you: the right to request access and to receive a copy of your information; the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete information; the right to request deletion of your information where it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected; and the right to request that we suspend processing of your information.

To exercise any of these rights, please submit a written request to us at the contact address below. We will acknowledge your request within 5 business days and fulfill it within 10 business days of receipt. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request. If you believe we have not handled your personal information in accordance with applicable law, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Personal Information Protection Commission of Korea (pipc.go.kr).

8. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or have a concern about how we handle your personal information, please contact us: IMMS — Institute for Multiscale Matter and Systems, Ewha Womans University, 52 Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea. Email: e600315@ewha.ac.kr. We aim to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 5 business days. This policy was last reviewed and updated in June 2025.