Privacy notice

GTHRC Assistant and AI processing

When you send a chat message, your message and a bounded recent conversation are sent to our conference backend and Google Cloud Vertex AI for Gemini processing. Approved public conference passages are included to ground answers. Do not send confidential research, identifying author information, payment details or private correspondence. AI answers can be mistaken; check the linked official sources. Translation assistance does not change the requirement to submit abstracts in English.

Chat messages and pasted abstracts remain in this page’s memory and are cleared by Clear chat or a page reload. We do not save full conversations or abstract text in the assistant database or application logs. Google Cloud processing is subject to the project’s applicable service terms and configuration; we do not promise zero provider retention. The rule-based abstract checker runs in your browser and does not send its form to AI.

Only bookmarked track and session IDs are saved in local browser storage until you clear the shortlist. Usage limits use short-lived hashed request/session identifiers. We retain aggregate usage, latency, token and estimated-cost metrics, plus answer source IDs and helpfulness feedback without message text. Response metadata is eligible for deletion after seven days; deletion by the cloud TTL service may occur later. Signed-in submission status is read from your verified account and is not sent to Gemini or shared caches.

You can use the website without opening the assistant. Contact drafts are editable and are sent only when you review and explicitly submit the existing contact form. Use the contact page for privacy enquiries.

Who manages your information

The GTHRC 2027 organising team, hosted by the Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management at the University of Cape Coast, uses this website to manage conference enquiries, research submissions, reviews and programme preparation.

For privacy questions, use our conference contact form and choose “Privacy & personal data”. Please avoid sending passwords or sensitive documents in an enquiry.

Information we collect

When you create an account, we collect the name, email address and profile details you provide, including institution, department, country, participant type and any optional phone or ORCID details.

For submissions, we collect titles, abstracts, keywords, author and presenter details, uploaded documents and submission history. Reviewers provide assessments, recommendations and comments. We also store enquiries, portal notifications, administrative activity and information needed to secure the service.

If you permit analytics, Google Analytics may process page visits, browser and device information, and approximate location derived from network information. You can use the website with optional analytics turned off.

How we use it

We use your information to provide sign-in and account recovery, receive and assess research, assign reviewers, communicate decisions, prepare the conference programme and respond to enquiries. Security records help us protect accounts and investigate misuse.

Submitting co-author details requires their permission. Provide only the information needed for the conference. Optional analytics are used to understand website usage and improve the service, based on your cookie choice.

Who can access it

Authors can access their own submissions. Assigned reviewers receive review copies and submission details with author identities withheld by the portal. Remove names, affiliations and identifying metadata from the files you upload for review.

Author-facing feedback is released after committee decisions. Confidential reviewer comments and internal administrative notes are restricted to authorised committee administrators. Accepted paper titles may appear in published programme sessions; manuscripts are not published automatically.

Google Firebase provides hosting, authentication, data storage and backend processing. A configured email provider processes notification recipients and message content for delivery. We do not sell your conference information or use it for advertising.

Storage, security & international processing

Conference records and uploaded papers are stored in Google Cloud/Firebase services. The conference database is located in the United States, and service providers may process information outside Ghana.

Access is restricted by account, ownership, review assignment and administrative role. File downloads require authorisation. We use encrypted connections, provider-managed authentication and database backups. No online service can guarantee complete security; keep your credentials private and report suspicious access promptly.

How long we keep it

The organisers currently plan to review conference-data retention 24 months after the event. This is an organiser-managed review, rather than an automatic deletion date. Information may need to be kept for legitimate research administration, dispute resolution or applicable record-keeping requirements.

Requests to delete or correct records are assessed by the organising team. Backup copies and security records may remain for their recovery or retention periods after a change to active records.

Your rights & choices

You can request access to your personal information, ask for inaccurate details to be corrected, or raise a request about deletion or processing. You may withdraw optional analytics consent at any time through Cookie preferences. Turning analytics off does not affect your submission or sign-in.

Use the contact form to make a personal-data request. The organisers may need to verify your identity and consider applicable record-keeping obligations before acting. You can also consult Ghana’s Data Protection Commission about data-subject rights and complaints.

Cookies, links & notice updates

Read the cookie and browser storage notice for essential sign-in storage, preference storage and optional analytics. External links and Google sign-in may take you to services with their own privacy notices.

We may update this notice as confirmed conference arrangements or services change. The date at the top identifies the current website notice.