Privacy Policy

Effective date: [EFFECTIVE DATE]

This Privacy Policy explains how Digital Era Hub (“Digital Era Hub,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), operating the Researcher’s Toolbox service, collects, uses, and shares information through researcherstoolbox.com, the client websites we build and host, our private preview pages, and our communications, including email and text messages (together, the “Services”).

Contact: Digital Era Hub, 565 Metro Place S., Suite 300, Dublin, OH 43017 · hello@researcherstoolbox.com

1. Information we collect

1.1 Information you give us

Contact and inquiry information: name, email address, phone number, institution, professional role, and the content of your message when you use a form, book a call, or email us.
Client information: billing name, billing address, email, and phone number when you subscribe. You may also provide content for your website, such as a biography, photographs, CV, publications, and change requests.
Payment information: payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. We do not receive or store your full card number. Stripe’s use of your information is governed by its own privacy policy.
Mobile phone number and SMS consent: if you choose to receive text messages from us (see Section 6).

1.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit our websites, we and our service providers may collect device and usage information such as IP address, browser type, pages viewed, referring pages, and approximate location (derived from IP). We use [privacy-friendly analytics that does not use advertising cookies / describe tool chosen at launch]. See Section 8 (Cookies).

1.3 Publicly available professional information about researchers

To prepare website previews, we collect publicly available professional information about researchers and clinicians from sources such as PubMed, ORCID, Google Scholar, NIH RePORTER, ClinicalTrials.gov, institutional faculty profiles, professional society pages, and public news and media coverage. This may include name, professional title, institutional affiliation, education and training, publications, grants, clinical trials, awards, talks, professional contact details published by the individual or their institution, and publicly available professional headshots.

We do not collect or use non-public personal information, health information, financial information, home addresses, or information about family members to prepare previews.

2. How we use information

We use information to:

provide, build, host, maintain, and update websites and other Services;
prepare private website previews for researchers (Section 3);
process payments, subscriptions, renewals, and refunds;
respond to inquiries and provide customer support;
send transactional messages (for example, receipts, renewal reminders, update confirmations);
send marketing communications, with the ability to opt out at any time (Section 5);
send text messages to people who have opted in (Section 6);
improve our Services, and monitor security, prevent fraud, and comply with legal obligations.

3. Website previews

Previews are published only at private, unguessable links, are marked noindex so search engines do not list them, and are clearly labeled as unofficial previews not affiliated with or endorsed by the researcher or their institution.
We share a preview link only with the researcher it describes.
Unclaimed previews are permanently deleted within 90 days of creation.
Opt out at any time: use the “Remove this preview” link on any preview, or email hello@researcherstoolbox.com. We will delete the preview and the research notes used to prepare it, and add your name and email to a suppression list so we do not contact you again about a preview. We keep only the minimum information needed to honor that request.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

We share information only:

With service providers that process it on our behalf under confidentiality obligations, including payment processing (Stripe), customer relationship management and forms (Zoho), website hosting and domain registration (Hostinger and domain registrars), email delivery, scheduling, analytics, and AI-assisted content tools used to draft website content from public information;
To publish your website: content you approve for your website is, by design, made public;
For legal reasons: to comply with law, legal process, or enforceable government requests, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Digital Era Hub, our clients, or others;
In a business transfer: in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, subject to this Policy;
With your consent.

5. Email communications

We may send you emails about the Services. Every marketing email includes our physical mailing address and an unsubscribe link, and we honor opt-out requests within 10 business days. Even if you unsubscribe from marketing, we may still send transactional emails about your account or subscription.

6. Text messaging (SMS)

If you opt in to receive text messages from Researcher’s Toolbox, we collect your mobile number and record your consent (date, time, method, and the language you agreed to). See our SMS Terms for program details, message frequency, and how to opt out.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Information sharing with subcontractors in support services, such as customer service or message delivery, is permitted. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

You can opt out at any time by replying STOP. Reply HELP for help.

7. Data retention

Information	Retention
Unclaimed preview sites and the research notes behind them	Deleted within 90 days of creation, or sooner on request
Opt-out / suppression records	Kept as long as needed to honor the request
Inquiries and leads	Up to 24 months after last interaction, unless you become a client
Client account, billing, and website records	For the subscription term, plus up to 7 years for tax, accounting, and legal purposes
SMS consent records	For as long as you are subscribed to texts, plus up to 4 years after opt-out, as proof of consent

8. Cookies and similar technologies

Our websites use only the cookies needed to run the site and, where enabled, privacy-friendly analytics. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. [Update if Google Analytics, a Meta pixel, or a scheduling widget is added at launch.] Third-party services embedded on our site, such as Stripe Checkout, Zoho Forms, or a scheduling tool, may set their own cookies under their own policies. Most browsers let you block or delete cookies.

Our sites do not currently respond to “Do Not Track” signals. [If analytics are added, honor Global Privacy Control signals where required.]

9. Your choices and rights

You may ask us to:

access the personal information we hold about you;
correct inaccurate information;
delete your information, including any preview about you;
opt out of marketing emails or text messages.

To make a request, email hello@researcherstoolbox.com. We may need to verify your identity. We will respond within 45 days. Residents of states with consumer privacy laws may have additional rights, and we will honor them as required by applicable law. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.

10. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), restricted access, and reputable service providers. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Health information

Our Services are designed for professional and research information only. We do not request or knowingly collect protected health information (PHI), and our contact forms instruct visitors not to submit patient or medical information. Client websites present professional and research information, and we do not provide patient portals or clinical services. If you send us health information anyway, we will delete it.

12. Children

Our Services are intended for professionals and are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

13. Client websites

For websites we build and host for clients, the client controls the content. Contact forms on client websites deliver messages to the client. We process that information only to deliver it and to operate the site. Questions about a client site’s content should go to the site owner.

14. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version here with a new effective date. If the changes are material, we will notify clients by email before they take effect.

15. Contact us

Digital Era Hub (Researcher’s Toolbox) 565 Metro Place S., Suite 300, Dublin, OH 43017 hello@researcherstoolbox.com