AOHUPO is committed to protecting your privacy, and that includes protecting the privacy of any data you share with us. This policy sets out what data we collect, what we do with your data, when and how we store your data, and what you can do if you have questions or wish to exercise rights you have with respect to your data.
This document was updated last on: September 18, 2026
1. Who are we
AOHUPO (Asia Oceania Human Proteome Organisation) is a non-profit scientific association registered in Australia. Our mailing address is c/o Australasian Proteomics Society, Level 2, 5 Queens Road, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia. Our website is available at https://aohupo.org, and you can reach us at info@aohupo.org.
As the entity that determines how and why personal data is processed in connection with this website, AOHUPO acts as the data controller within the meaning of the GDPR.
2. What information we collect
We collect a limited amount of personal information depending on how you interact with our website. When you submit a contact or registration form, we collect the details you provide — which may include your name, email address, institutional affiliation, country of residence, and the content of your message. When you visit the website, we automatically collect anonymised usage data through Google Analytics, including pages visited, time on site, browser type, device type, and approximate geographic location at country level. We do not collect IP addresses in identifiable form — Google Analytics is configured to anonymise IP addresses before storage. We may also retain personal information you share with us directly by email.
3. How we collect information
Personal data is collected through three main channels. First, through forms on the website: our contact and enquiry forms are powered by Ninja Forms, and the data you submit is transmitted to our web server and, where applicable, to our email system via FluentSMTP. Second, through cookies and automated tracking: when you browse the website, Google Analytics places cookies in your browser to collect anonymised usage statistics. Your consent is required before these analytics cookies are set, and they will only be activated once you have accepted them via the cookie consent banner on your first visit. Third, through direct correspondence: if you contact us by email, we retain that correspondence for as long as it remains relevant to responding to your enquiry.
4. How we use your information
We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:
– to respond to your enquiries, process your requests, and communicate with you
– to analyse and improve the performance and content of our website using anonymised analytics data
– to monitor our website’s visibility in search results using Google Search Console (which provides aggregated, non-personal search performance data)
– to maintain the security and technical operation of the website
– to comply with our legal obligations
We do not use your personal information for marketing or commercial purposes, and we do not sell, rent, or trade your data to third parties.
5. Legal basis for processing
For visitors and members in the European Economic Area, all processing of personal data is grounded in a lawful basis under Article 6 of the GDPR. Responding to form enquiries is based on legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f)) — we have a legitimate interest in replying to people who contact us. Analytics data collected after your consent is based on consent (Article 6(1)(a)) — you can withdraw your consent at any time through the cookie settings in our website footer. Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, we rely on Article 6(1)(c).
For visitors in Australia, our collection and handling of personal information is governed by the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). We collect only information that is reasonably necessary for our functions and activities.
6. Cookies and tracking technologies
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. This website uses two categories of cookies.
Strictly necessary cookies are required for the website to function and cannot be switched off. This category includes the cookie placed by our consent management platform (CookieYes) to remember your cookie preferences. Its name is cookieyes-consent, it is set by CookieYes Ltd, and it is retained for up to one year.
Analytics cookies are used, with your consent, to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics sets the following cookies: _ga and _ga_* (retained for up to two years) to distinguish unique visitors; _gid (retained for 24 hours) to distinguish visitors within a session; and _gat (retained for one minute) to control request frequency.
You can manage your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the cookie settings link in the footer of any page. You may also opt out of Google Analytics tracking entirely by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser extension available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
7. Third-party service providers
To operate this website, we work with a number of third-party service providers who may process personal data on our behalf. We have listed them below, along with the nature of their involvement and the safeguards in place for any international transfers of data.
Website and email hosting — o2switch SAS
Our website and email services are hosted by o2switch SAS (222-224 Boulevard Gustave Flaubert, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France). All hosting infrastructure is located in France and is therefore subject to the GDPR. No international data transfer is involved for hosting.
Contact forms — Ninja Forms (Saturday Drive Inc)
Our contact and enquiry forms are powered by Ninja Forms, a plugin developed by Saturday Drive Inc (United States). Form submission data may be temporarily stored on our web server and processed by Saturday Drive in accordance with their privacy policy, available at https://ninjaforms.com/privacy-policy/. Where personal data is transferred to the United States for processing, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses as the appropriate safeguard.
Email delivery — FluentSMTP
Outgoing emails from the website (such as form submission notifications) are sent via FluentSMTP using Gmail as the SMTP relay, a service provided by Google LLC (United States). Google LLC is certified under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, which provides an adequate level of protection for data transferred from the EU to the United States. Google’s privacy policy is available at https://policies.google.com/privacy.
Website analytics — Google Analytics (Google LLC)
We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC (United States). Google Analytics collects anonymised data about your visits to help us understand how our website is used. Google LLC is certified under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, which provides an adequate level of protection for data transferred from the EU to the United States. Google’s privacy policy is available at https://policies.google.com/privacy.
Search performance monitoring — Google Search Console (Google LLC)
We use Google Search Console to monitor how our website appears in Google Search results. This service does not collect personal data from website visitors — it provides AOHUPO with aggregated search performance statistics only.
Image optimisation — Imagify (WP Media SAS)
Images on this website are optimised using Imagify, a service provided by WP Media SAS (France). Image files may be transmitted to Imagify’s servers for compression. As WP Media SAS is established in France, this processing takes place within the EU.
Website backups — UpdraftPlus (Simba Hosting Ltd) + Google Drive
Website backups are managed using UpdraftPlus, a plugin developed by Simba Hosting Ltd (United Kingdom). Backups are stored in two locations: locally on the o2switch server (France, EU) and on Google Drive, a cloud storage service provided by Google LLC (United States). Google LLC is certified under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, which provides an adequate level of protection for any data transferred from the EU to the United States. Backup files are retained in accordance with the schedule configured in UpdraftPlus.
Cookie consent — CookieYes Ltd
Our cookie consent banner is powered by CookieYes Ltd (United Kingdom). CookieYes records and manages your cookie preferences. Where data is transferred from the EU/EEA to the UK, this is covered by the EU adequacy decision for the UK. CookieYes’s privacy policy is available at https://www.cookieyes.com/privacy-policy/.
Spam filtering — Antispam Bee
We use Antispam Bee to filter spam from comment submissions. This plugin operates entirely on our own server and does not transfer any data to external parties.
8. Data retention
We retain personal data only for as long as it is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. Form submissions and related correspondence are retained for up to 12 months from the date of submission. Email correspondence is retained for up to three years. Google Analytics data is configured to be retained for 14 months, after which it is automatically deleted. Cookie consent records are retained for up to one year, in line with the duration of the consent cookie. Server access logs are retained in accordance with o2switch’s data retention policy, typically for up to 12 months. Website backups are retained in accordance with the schedule configured in UpdraftPlus.
9. Security measures
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. This website is served over HTTPS using an SSL/TLS certificate. Our server infrastructure is managed by o2switch, a professional hosting provider operating secure data centres in France. Access to administrative areas of the website is restricted and protected by strong authentication. While we take these measures seriously, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Your rights
Rights under the Australian Privacy Act 1988
Under the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), you have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, and to request that inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date information be corrected. You may also make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at https://www.oaic.gov.au if you believe we have not handled your personal information in accordance with the APPs.
Rights under the GDPR (EU/EEA residents)
If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data: the right to access a copy of the data we hold about you; the right to have inaccurate data corrected; the right to have your data erased in certain circumstances; the right to restrict our processing of your data; the right to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format (data portability); the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests; and the right to withdraw your consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority. In France, this is the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL): https://www.cnil.fr.
To exercise any of your rights, please contact us at secretary@aohupo.org. We will respond to your request within 30 days.
11. International data transfers
Some of our third-party service providers are based outside Australia and the European Economic Area. In particular, Google LLC (United States) processes data in connection with Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Gmail (used for email delivery via FluentSMTP), and Google Drive (used for website backups). Saturday Drive Inc (United States) processes data through Ninja Forms. Where personal data is transferred internationally, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. For transfers to the United States, we rely on the EU–US Data Privacy Framework (for Google LLC) and Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission (for Ninja Forms). For transfers between the EU and the United Kingdom (CookieYes Ltd), we rely on the adequacy decision issued by the European Commission.
12. Children’s privacy
This website is intended for a scientific and professional audience and is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us, please contact us at secretary@aohupo.org and we will take prompt steps to delete that information.
13. Updates to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our services, or applicable law. The date of the most recent revision is shown at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
14. Contact us
If you have any questions about this privacy policy, about how we handle your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us:
AOHUPO — Asia Oceania Human Proteome Organisation
c/o Australasian Proteomics Society
Level 2, 5 Queens Road, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia
Email: secretary@aohupo.org