Skip to content

Privacy Policy

GAIMS · Global Association of Indian Medical Students

The GAIMS Portal is operated by the Global Association of Indian Medical Students (GAIMS). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information. By using the Platform, you agree to the practices described here.

Effective Date: To be announced. Last Updated: March 2025.

1. Scope of This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all visitors, registered members, administrators, office bearers, committee leads, chapter officials, IT team users, event participants, volunteers, and individuals using any public pages of the GAIMS Portal. It does not apply to offline communications or third-party platforms that may be linked from the Portal.

2. Who Uses the GAIMS Portal

  • Visitors — individuals who browse public pages without logging in.
  • Members — registered GAIMS members with active portal accounts.
  • Administrators / Officials — authorized individuals who manage organizational operations on the Platform.
  • Technical / IT Users — personnel responsible for platform maintenance and technical operations.

3. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide Directly

  • Full name, email address, mobile number, WhatsApp number
  • Date of birth, gender, college name, course, academic year
  • City, state, country, postal address
  • Profile photo, student proof documents, government-issued ID details
  • Membership details and payment information
  • Committee, chapter, and role preferences
  • Event registration details and uploaded files
  • Support requests and correspondence

B. Information Collected Automatically

  • IP address, browser type, operating system, device type
  • Login timestamps, session activity, pages visited, referral source
  • Click data, crash reports, cookies, and inferred location
  • Security logs and access records

C. Information From Third-Party Services

When you use Google Sign-In, payment gateways, email delivery services, analytics tools, or file storage providers, these services may provide us with your name, email address, profile image, and payment status in accordance with their own policies.

4. How We Use Your Information

  • Account creation, management, and identity verification
  • Processing membership registrations and approvals
  • Managing memberships and issuing certificates
  • Processing payments and financial records
  • Facilitating committee assignments, events, and projects
  • Sending important communications and notifications
  • Providing member support and resolving disputes
  • Improving portal performance and user experience
  • Maintaining audit trails and operational records
  • Detecting fraud and ensuring platform security
  • Complying with legal and regulatory requirements
  • Generating aggregate analytics and reports

6. Sharing of Information

GAIMS does not sell your personal information. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:

  • Authorized GAIMS personnel — based on role and need-to-know access controls
  • Service providers — hosting, email delivery, payment processors, analytics, and file storage partners, each bound by confidentiality obligations
  • Legal or safety disclosures — if required by applicable law, a court order, or to protect the safety of users or the public
  • Organizational transfers — in connection with a merger, restructuring, or transfer of GAIMS operations

7. Visibility of Information

Certain information may be visible to other members or the public:

  • Your name, profile photo, role, and chapter may appear in member directories visible to other authenticated members.
  • Certificate verification data may be publicly accessible via unique verification links.
  • Officials may have public-facing profiles as part of organizational transparency.

GAIMS takes measures to minimize unnecessary exposure of personal information.

8. Cookies and Analytics

The GAIMS Portal uses cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Maintaining secure sign-in sessions and authentication state
  • Storing your preferences and settings
  • Understanding usage patterns and platform performance
  • Security monitoring and fraud prevention
  • Aggregate analytics (no personally identifiable profiling)

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect platform functionality.

9. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy. Specific retention considerations include membership administration, certificate records, audit trails, regulatory compliance, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, and legal recordkeeping. The appropriate retention period is determined by the nature of the data and the applicable legal requirements.

10. Account Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and associated personal information by contacting GAIMS. Deletion requests are subject to legal, compliance, and institutional requirements. Records relating to payments, issued certificates, compliance obligations, and audit logs may be retained even after account deletion as required by law or organizational policy.

11. Data Security

GAIMS implements appropriate technical and organizational security measures, including:

  • Secure access controls and role-based permissions
  • Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
  • Comprehensive audit logging
  • Restricted administrative access
  • Continuous security monitoring
  • Backup and recovery procedures
  • File access controls and storage security

No system is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security against all threats.

12. Children and Minors

The GAIMS Portal is intended for individuals 18 years of age and above. GAIMS does not knowingly permit minors to register or use the Platform. If we become aware that a minor has provided personal information, we will take steps to remove that information promptly. Please refer to our Child Safety Policy for further details.

13. Third-Party Links

The GAIMS Portal may contain links to third-party websites and services. GAIMS is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.

14. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Correct or update inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of your personal information (where appropriate)
  • Withdraw consent you have previously given
  • Object to certain types of processing
  • Request clarification about how your data is used

To exercise any of these rights, please contact GAIMS using the details in the Complaints & Contact section below.

15. Communications

GAIMS may send you the following types of communications:

  • Membership updates and renewal reminders
  • Onboarding and account setup guidance
  • Payment confirmations and receipts
  • Event registrations and announcements
  • Certificate issuance notifications
  • Role and committee assignment updates
  • General organizational announcements
  • Security alerts and account notices

Essential communications related to account security, compliance, or membership status may be sent when necessary, regardless of communication preferences.

16. International Use

The GAIMS Portal serves members from multiple countries. Your personal information may be processed in jurisdictions where GAIMS or its service providers operate. GAIMS applies appropriate safeguards when transferring data across borders, consistent with applicable data protection requirements.

17. Complaints & Contact

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

We will make every effort to respond to your inquiry in a timely manner.

18. Changes to This Policy

GAIMS may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. Updated versions will be posted on this page with a revised effective date. Your continued use of the Platform after any updates constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy.