Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 25, 2026

At Litmus Science ("Litmus," "we," "our," or "us"), we are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care and transparency. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform.

1. Information We Collect

Information You Provide to Us

We collect information that you voluntarily provide when using our platform:

• Account Information: Name, email address, institutional affiliation, professional credentials, and account preferences
• Profile Information: Research interests, areas of expertise, skills, certifications, and biographical information
• Experiment Data: Hypotheses, protocols, experimental requests, results, documentation, photos, videos, and lab notes
• Payment Information: Billing address and payment method details (processed securely through third-party payment processors)
• Communications: Messages, support requests, feedback, and other communications with us or other users
• Verification Documents: Institutional verification, PI authorization letters, competency assessments, and identity documents

Information Collected Automatically

When you use our platform, we automatically collect certain information:

• Usage Data: Pages viewed, features used, search queries, click patterns, and time spent on the platform
• Device Information: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, and unique device identifiers
• Location Information: General geographic location based on IP address
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies, web beacons, and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Platform Operations: To provide, maintain, and improve our marketplace services
• Matching: To connect experiment requesters with qualified operators
• Verification: To verify institutional affiliations, credentials, and operator competencies
• Payment Processing: To process transactions, manage escrow, and handle refunds
• Communication: To send notifications, updates, and respond to your inquiries
• Safety and Trust: To detect fraud, prevent abuse, and maintain platform integrity
• Open Science: To build a public corpus of validated experimental data (as described in our data sharing practices)
• Analytics: To understand usage patterns and improve the platform
• Legal Compliance: To comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service

3. Public Data and Open Science

Litmus operates with a default commitment to open science. Unless you opt for a privacy tier, the following information is publicly accessible:

• Experiment requests, hypotheses, and protocols
• Experimental results, including raw data, photos, and lab notes
• Operator profiles (name, institution, areas of expertise, and reputation scores)
• Aggregate platform statistics

Privacy Tiers

You may choose alternative privacy options for your experiments:

• Open Access (Default): Results immediately public
• Delayed Release: Results private for 6-12 months, then automatically published
• Premium Private: Results permanently private (subject to legal requirements)

Regardless of privacy tier, certain information remains private, including payment information, personal contact details, and private communications.

4. How We Share Your Information

Public Sharing

As described above, experimental data is shared publicly by default to advance open science.

With Other Users

We share relevant information between requesters and operators to facilitate experiments, including contact information, experimental details, and results.

With Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf:

• Payment processors (Stripe, etc.)
• Cloud hosting providers (AWS, etc.)
• Email and communication services
• Analytics providers
• Identity verification services

For Legal Reasons

We may disclose your information when required by law or when we believe disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with legal obligations, court orders, or government requests
• Enforce our Terms of Service or other agreements
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of Litmus, our users, or the public
• Prevent fraud or security threats

Business Transfers

If Litmus is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.

5. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide our services and fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Specific retention periods include:

• Account Information: Retained until account deletion, plus necessary archival period
• Experimental Data: Retained indefinitely for open science purposes (unless premium private tier)
• Payment Records: Retained for 7 years for accounting and tax purposes
• Communications: Retained for 2 years or as required for dispute resolution

6. Your Rights and Choices

You have certain rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to limitations for open science data and legal requirements)
• Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications
• Privacy Tiers: Choose delayed or private release for your experiments
• Data Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@litmus.science.

7. Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Regular security assessments and penetration testing
• Access controls and authentication requirements
• Employee training on data protection

However, no system is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information.

8. Children's Privacy

Litmus is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 18. If we learn we have collected such information, we will delete it promptly.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have different data protection laws. By using our platform, you consent to such transfers.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email or prominent notice on the platform. Your continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us:

Email: privacy@litmus.science
Address: Litmus Science, Inc. (address to be provided)