1. Purpose
This policy outlines how PakPedia collects, stores, retains, and deletes user data.
It supports our commitment to transparency, user privacy, and responsible information stewardship across all civic and educational services.
2. Guiding Principles
PakPedia retains only the information necessary to:
- Ensure service reliability and system security.
- Maintain data integrity for civic and educational reference.
- Fulfill legal or compliance requirements under Pakistani law.
No personal information is retained indefinitely or beyond its intended purpose.
3. Categories of Data and Retention Periods
|
Data Category |
Purpose |
Typical Retention Period |
Deletion Method |
|
User Feedback / Inquiries |
Responding to user questions or corrections. |
12 months after resolution. |
Secure database deletion. |
|
Contributor Submissions |
Educational content, corrections, or edits. |
Retained indefinitely in anonymized or versioned form. |
Anonymization after contributor exits. |
|
Technical Logs |
Security, debugging, and operational analytics. |
6 months |
Automatic purge scripts. |
|
Cookie & Preference Data |
Remembering language and display preferences. |
Up to 12 months |
Browser or user-initiated clearing. |
|
Anonymized Analytics Data |
Measuring public engagement and accessibility. |
Retained as statistical aggregates only. |
Not personally identifiable. |
|
Legal / Compliance Records |
Documenting official correspondence or requests. |
5 years or as required by law. |
Manual secure deletion after expiry. |
4. Deletion and Anonymization Procedures
- Automatic Deletion: Expired logs and temporary files are automatically deleted through system scripts.
- Manual Deletion: Specific user data may be manually removed upon verified request.
- Anonymization: Data used for long-term analytics is stripped of personal identifiers.
- Backups: Deleted data may remain in encrypted backups for up to 90 days before permanent removal.
5. User Rights to Data Deletion
Users may request deletion of any personal information stored by PakPedia by emailing [email protected] with the subject “Data Deletion Request.”
Requests are verified and processed within 10 working days.
PakPedia may retain limited records if legally required (e.g., security or audit logs).
6. Exceptions to Deletion
PakPedia may retain data beyond standard periods if:
- Required by national or provincial law.
- Needed to resolve ongoing disputes or investigations.
- Retained for legitimate educational archiving under open-data principles.
All exceptions are documented and justified under our governance framework.
7. Secure Deletion Standards
PakPedia follows secure deletion practices that meet or exceed international standards (e.g., ISO/IEC 27001).
This includes:
- Overwriting deleted records.
- Removing personal identifiers from datasets.
- Secure disposal of physical and digital media.
- Restricted access to archival systems.
8. Data Backups and Restoration
Regular encrypted backups ensure data resilience.
Backups are maintained in secure environments and are accessible only to authorized administrators.
When data deletion requests are processed, the removal is mirrored in subsequent backup cycles.
9. Transparency and Auditing
Data retention and deletion activities are logged and periodically reviewed by PakPedia’s compliance team.
Annual audits verify compliance with retention schedules and secure disposal procedures.
10. Policy Updates
This policy may be updated to reflect changes in law, technology, or governance standards.
The latest version will always be available at https://pakpedia.org/data-retention-deletion-policy
11. Contact Information
For questions or requests regarding data retention, archival access, or deletion, please contact:
Email: [email protected]
Subject Line: “Data Retention Inquiry – PakPedia”