Privacy Policy - The Simple Platform (TSP)

Version: 1.4
Effective Date: June 1, 2026

Welcome to The Simple Platform (“TSP,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and manage information when you access or use TSP’s websites and services (the “Services”), and it should be read together with the TSP Terms of Use and TSP Data Sources documentation. By using the Services, you agree to the practices described in each of those policies.

TSP functions as research infrastructure designed to help researchers organize, maintain, and share research-ready work. The platform does not replace existing scholarly tools or workflows and does not claim authority over scholarly content.

1. Information We Collect

TSP collects information necessary to operate, secure, and improve the Services. Categories of information may include:

Account Information
• Name
• Email address
• Login credentials

Platform Usage Information
• IP address
• Device and browser information
• Log files and timestamps
• Platform interaction information

Research Context Inputs
Certain platform features require contextual inputs to operate discovery and search functionality. These inputs may include:
‍
• Area of Research Interest prompts
• Vertical names
• Vertical summaries
• Geographic filters
• Funding filters

2. Customer Data

“Customer Data” means proprietary data, content, notes, uploads, files, communications, messages, research materials, intellectual property, curated resources, and other information that users create, upload, store, organize, discover, or share through the Services. Customer Data does not include the items listed in Section 1.

Users retain ownership and editorial control of the Customer Data they create within TSP. TSP stores and processes Customer Data solely to provide the Services requested by users. TSP does not use Customer Data for advertising, profiling, commercialization, model training, or platform analytics. Except as necessary to store, secure, transmit, display, back up, or share information at the direction of the user, TSP does not review or analyze Customer Data for business, marketing, or product-development purposes.

3. How Information Is Used

• Operate and maintain the Services
• Authenticate users and maintain account security
• Provide discovery and search functionality
• Improve reliability, usability, and performance of the platform
• Analyze platform usage and feature adoption
• Comply with legal obligations

Platform analytics may include analysis of user interactions with the Services, such as navigation patterns, feature usage, session activity, device characteristics, and performance metrics. TSP’s analytics activities are designed to understand how the platform is used, not the proprietary content users create, upload, store, or organize within the platform.

4. Research Independence and Academic Norms.

• Research Independence
TSP is designed as research infrastructure. The platform does not influence, edit, rank, or alter a user’s scholarly work, research conclusions, or intellectual output.

• Academic norms
TSP is designed to respect established academic norms regarding attribution, authorship, and scholarly independence.

5. Platform Search Inputs

When platform discovery tools perform searches or refresh content, only limited contextual inputs are shared with search models. These inputs may include:
‍
• Area of Research Interest prompt
• Vertical name
• Vertical summary
• Funding filters
• Geographic filters

6. Optional Introductions

Participation in introductions is strictly opt-in. Personally identifying information will not be shared unless a user explicitly elects to participate.

7. Data Security

• Encrypted communications (HTTPS)
• Role-based access controls
• Secure cloud infrastructure
• Monitoring to protect platform integrity

While TSP employs commercially reasonable security measures, no system can guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention

TSP retains personal information only as long as reasonably necessary to operate the Services, maintain records, and comply with legal obligations. Users may request deletion of personal data associated with their account.