Data Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters to us. The University of Cebu ("University", "we", "us", "our") recognizes its responsibility to protect the personal information entrusted to it and to uphold the privacy rights of its website visitors.

This Data Privacy Policy is adopted in accordance with Republic Act No. 10173, otherwise known as the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA), its implementing rules and regulations, and other applicable data protection laws and regulations. It explains how the University collects, uses, discloses, retains, and protects personal information when you browse, interact with, or use our website and its services.

We encourage you to take a moment to read this Policy to understand our practices, why we collect personal information, and the rights and choices available to you under the applicable data protection laws.

For purposes of this Data Privacy Policy, the following terms are defined as follows (Source: Republic Act No. 10173):

• Consent of Data Subject — any freely given, specific, informed indication of will, whereby the data subject agrees to the collection and processing of personal information about and/or relating to him or her. It may also be given on behalf of the data subject by an agent specifically authorized by the data subject to do so.
• Data Subject — refers to an individual whose personal, sensitive personal or privileged information is processed by the University of Cebu. It may refer to University officials and employees, as well as faculty, staff and students of the University of Cebu.
• Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) — means an educational institution, private or public, undertaking operations of higher education program/s with an organized group of students pursuing defined studies in higher education, receiving instructions from teachers, usually located in building or group of buildings in a particular site specifically intended for educational purposes.
• Personal Information — refers to any information such as but not limited to name, address, email address and mobile numbers whether recorded in a material form or not, from which the identity of an individual is apparent or can be reasonably and directly ascertained by the entity holding the information, or when put together with other information would directly and certainly identify an individual.
• Personal Information Controller — refers to a natural or juridical person, or any other body who controls the processing of personal data, or instructs another to process personal data on his behalf.
• Personal Information Processor — refers to any natural or juridical person or any other body to whom a personal information controller may outsource or instruct the processing of personal data pertaining to a data subject.
• Processing — refers to any operation or any set of operations performed upon personal information including, but not limited to collection, recording, organization, storage, updating or modification, retrieval, consultation, use, consolidation, blocking, erasure or destruction of data.
• Sensitive Personal Information — refers to personal information:
  • About an individual’s race, ethnic origin, marital status, age, color, and religious, philosophical or political affiliations;
  • About an individual’s health, education, genetic or sexual life of a person, or to any proceeding for any offense committed or alleged to have been committed by such individual, the disposal of such proceeding, or the sentence of any court in such proceedings;
  • Issued by government agencies peculiar to an individual which includes, but is not limited to, social security numbers, previous or current health records, licenses or its denials, suspension or revocation, and tax returns; and
  • Specifically established by an executive order or an act of Congress to be kept classified.

The personal information we collect depends on how you use our website. This may include:

• Identifying information, such as your name, age, date of birth, and other information you provide through online forms;
• Contact information, such as your email address, mobile number, and address;
• Information relating to your inquiry or request, including information you provide when contacting the University or submitting an online form;
• Account information, where applicable, such as your username and other information necessary to access certain website features or services; and
• Technical information, such as your IP address, browser type, device information, operating system, pages visited, and date and time of access.

The University may collect and process your personal information for purposes such as:

• Responding to inquiries, requests, and communications;
• Providing information about the University’s programs, services, activities, and announcements;
• Processing applications, registrations, and other requests submitted through the website;
• Providing and administering online services and features;
• Maintaining the security, functionality, and performance of the website; and
• Monitoring and improving the website and user experience.

The University will not process your personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the purpose for which it was collected, unless permitted or required by law.

The University may collect personal information when you:

• Visit or browse our website;
• Submit an inquiry, request, application, or other online form;
• Register for an event, activity, or service;
• Subscribe to updates, announcements, or other communications;
• Communicate with the University through the website; or
• Use features or services that require you to provide personal information.

We may also automatically collect certain technical information when you visit the website through cookies and similar technologies.

Continued use and access of the website and performance of any of the above actions shall be considered as your consent for the collection of personal information for the purposes identified in the previous section.

Our website may contain links to websites, applications, platforms, or services operated by third parties.

These links are provided for convenience and information and are not under the control of the University. It is not responsible for the content, availability, security, privacy practices, or other activities of any third-party website, application, platform, or service, or for any changes to such sites or services.

When you access a third-party website, application, platform, or service through a link on our website, you will be subject to that third party’s own privacy policy, terms, and practices. The University does not control or assume responsibility for the manner in which such third parties collect, use, disclose, store, or otherwise process your personal information.

We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any third-party website or service before providing personal information or using its services.

The University retains personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, comply with legal or regulatory requirements, resolve disputes, establish or defend legal claims, or for other legitimate purposes permitted by law.

When personal information is no longer necessary, the University will securely delete, dispose of, or anonymize it in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and University policies.

Your rights as a Data Subject are provided under Sections 16, 17, and 18 of the DPA. The following is a summary of some of the key rights available to you under the DPA and is not intended to be an exhaustive enumeration of your rights (Source: Republic Act No. 10173):

• Right to be Informed — Be informed about the collection and processing of your personal information;
• Right to Access — Access your personal information and certain information about its processing;
• Right to Object — Object to the processing of your personal information in appropriate circumstances;
• Right to Correct — Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information;
• Right to Block/Remove Data — Request the deletion or blocking of personal information where permitted by law;
• Right to Data Portability — Request data portability, where applicable; and
• Right to Lodge a Complaint — Lodge a complaint with the National Privacy Commission if you believe that your privacy rights have been violated.

Should you wish to exercise any of your rights or have questions or concerns relating to the University’s data protection efforts, you may contact the University’s designated privacy contact through electronic mail at maindpo@uc.edu.ph.

The University may update this Data Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in its practices, website features, technology, or applicable laws and regulations.

Any updated version will be posted on this website with its corresponding effective or updated date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.