Privacy & Data Stewardship

Our Commitment to Stewardship

Aevum Encyclopedia operates as a global knowledge infrastructure. With over 2.4 million articles, 180,000 contributors, and users in 140+ languages, we handle vast amounts of information. However, we distinguish clearly between public knowledge (the encyclopedia content) and personal data (information identifying you).

Our philosophy is rooted in Data Stewardship: we do not "own" your data. We temporarily hold it to provide services, enhance the encyclopedia, and improve user experience, always with your explicit consent and under strict ethical guidelines.

Core Stewardship Principles

Our operations are guided by six fundamental principles that prioritize user autonomy and data minimization.

What We Collect & Why

We categorize data collection into three tiers based on necessity and user interaction. Transparency is key to building trust.

AI & Algorithmic Transparency

As an AI-enhanced encyclopedia, we use machine learning to improve search accuracy, detect vandalism, suggest edits, and generate knowledge graphs. Our AI practices are governed by strict ethical guardrails.

Model Training & Your Data

• Search Queries: We never use identifiable search queries to train models. All queries are processed in real-time and discarded after session end, unless you explicitly opt-in to our "Help Improve Search" program using fully anonymized, aggregated data.
• Contributor Edits: Edit history is public knowledge, not personal data. However, we anonymize contributor metadata in AI training sets to prevent behavioral profiling.
• Personalization: Any AI-driven personalization (e.g., "Recommended Articles") is processed locally on your device when possible, minimizing server-side data retention.

Algorithmic Accountability

We conduct quarterly bias audits on our recommendation and search algorithms to ensure fair representation across languages, cultures, and perspectives. Audit reports are published annually on our Transparency Page.

Security Measures

We employ industry-leading security protocols to protect data integrity and confidentiality:

• Encryption: AES-256 encryption for data at rest; TLS 1.3 for data in transit.
• Access Controls: Role-based access control (RBAC) with multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all internal systems. Principle of least privilege enforced.
• Infrastructure: Hosted on isolated, audited cloud environments with geographic data residency options for EU and other regulated regions.
• Incident Response: 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC) with automated threat detection. We commit to 72-hour notification in the event of a confirmed breach, per GDPR standards.
• Third-Party Audits: Annual penetration testing and ISO 27001 certification maintained.

Your Rights & Controls

We empower you with direct tools to exercise your data rights. No forms to fill, no waiting periods. Most actions are instantaneous.

Detailed Rights

• Access: Request a full export of all personal data we hold, in standard JSON or CSV format.
• Rectification: Update or correct inaccurate personal information directly in your account dashboard.
• Erasure: Permanently delete your account and associated personal data. Public contributions remain (as knowledge) but are disassociated from your identity.
• Portability: Transfer your data to compatible platforms using our open API standards.
• Restriction: Pause processing of your data while inquiries are resolved.
• Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing at any time.

Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies sparingly and only for essential functionality or explicit preferences. Our cookie banner requires active consent for non-essential cookies.

Essential Cookies: Session management, security tokens, load balancing. These cannot be disabled.

Preference Cookies: Remember language, theme, and accessibility settings stored locally.

Analytics Cookies: Only used if you opt-in. We use privacy-first analytics (Plausible/Vele.io alternatives) that do not fingerprint users or set tracking IDs.

No Third-Party Tracking: We do not allow advertisers, social media pixels, or cross-site trackers on our platform.

Children's Privacy

Aevum Encyclopedia is a global educational resource. We welcome students and young learners while protecting their privacy:

• Users under 16 (or local age of consent) cannot create accounts without verifiable parental/guardian consent.
• Guest access to encyclopedia content requires no personal information whatsoever.
• We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If discovered, it is immediately deleted.
• Educators can manage class accounts with enhanced privacy controls via our "Aevum for Schools" program.

Policy Updates

We may update this policy to reflect changes in technology, law, or our practices. We are committed to transparency:

• Substantive changes will be notified via email to account holders and prominent on-site banners.
• A changelog of all policy modifications is maintained and accessible publicly.
• Users will have 30 days to review changes and opt out of new data processing where applicable.

Contact the Data Protection Officer

Questions, concerns, or requests? Our Data Protection Office is independent and available to assist you.