GLOWACON Platform – Terms and Conditions of Use
Last updated: December 15th, 2025
These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern access to and use of the GLOWACON online platform, available at https://glowacon.org, including its public website, intranet services, and associated systems (collectively, the “Platform”).
By creating an account, accessing, or using any part of the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms.
1. Purpose of the Platform
GLOWACON (Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for Public Health) is a collaborative, professional platform designed to:
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facilitate communication and collaboration between members;
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support structured knowledge sharing and document management;
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provide access to working groups, restricted content, and collaborative tools;
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foster international cooperation in wastewater and environmental surveillance, public health, policy, and related domains.
The Platform is intended primarily for professional, institutional, academic, and policy-related use.
2. Account Registration and Identity Management
2.1 Authentication and Access Control
User authentication and access management are handled through Keycloak, which provides a centralized identity and access management service for the Platform, as well as the Single Sign On (SSO) mechanism between the main website and the Intranet.
Each user account is personal and must not be shared with third parties.
2.2 Information Collected at Registration
In order to manage access rights, group memberships, and collaboration spaces within the GLOWACON Intranet (based on Nextcloud), users are required to provide certain information during registration or profile completion.
The following data may be collected:
Mandatory information
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Full name
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Email address
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Country
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Organization / institutional affiliation
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Role or position within the organization
Optional information
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Phone number(s)
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Links to professional or institutional online presence (e.g. organization website, LinkedIn, ORCID, personal webpage)
This information is used exclusively for:
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identity verification and account management;
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allocation of users to appropriate groups, roles, and access levels;
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facilitating professional collaboration and communication within the Platform.
3. Groups, Roles, and Access Rights
3.1 Group Applications
During registration or at a later stage, users may apply to join one or more thematic or functional groups within the Platform.
3.2 Approval and Revocation
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Submission of a group application does not guarantee acceptance.
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GLOWACON administrators reserve the sole right to approve or reject any application.
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Group memberships, roles, and access rights may be modified, suspended, or revoked at any time, including but not limited to cases of:
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misuse of the Platform;
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violation of these Terms;
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inappropriate or unprofessional conduct;
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security, operational, or organizational reasons.
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No compensation or damages may be claimed as a result of such decisions.
4. Use of Nextcloud and Associated Applications
4.1 Third‑Party Software Disclaimer
The Intranet and the collaborative services of the Platform are primarily provided through Nextcloud and its ecosystem of applications, which are developed and maintained by Nextcloud GmbH and third‑party contributors.
GLOWACON does not develop or control these applications and therefore cannot guarantee their functionality, availability, or long‑term continuity.
4.2 Availability of Services
While reasonable efforts are made to ensure stable operation, GLOWACON:
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does not guarantee uninterrupted or permanent availability of any application or service;
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expressly reserves the right to enable, disable, replace, or remove any application or functionality at any time;
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may suspend or limit access for technical, security, or organizational reasons.
Where reasonably possible, users will be informed in advance and given adequate time to download or export their contributed content and any content exclusively accessible through the affected tools.
However, data loss is possible, and users are responsible for maintaining their own backups of important information.
No claims for damages may be made against GLOWACON in relation to service interruptions, changes, or data loss.
5. User Content and Responsibilities
5.1 User‑Generated Content
Users remain responsible for all content they upload, share, or otherwise make available on the Platform.
By contributing content, users confirm that:
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they have the necessary rights to share such content;
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the content does not infringe intellectual property, confidentiality, or legal obligations;
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the content complies with applicable laws and professional standards.
5.2 Professional Conduct
Users must:
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act in a respectful, professional, and collaborative manner;
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refrain from harassment, abuse, or discriminatory behavior;
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avoid uploading malicious software or engaging in activities that may compromise platform security.
Violation of these principles may result in suspension or termination of access.
6. Suspension and Termination of Accounts
GLOWACON reserves the right to:
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suspend or terminate user accounts, with or without prior notice, in cases of misuse, misconduct, security risk, or violation of these Terms;
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restrict access to certain areas or services without terminating the entire account.
In the case of account termination, reasonable efforts will be made—where feasible—to allow users to retrieve their personal content.
7. Data Protection and Privacy
7.1 Scope of Personal Data Collected
The only personal data collected and processed by GLOWACON are the data explicitly provided by the user during registration and profile completion, as described in Section 2 of these Terms.
GLOWACON does not collect hidden, inferred, or third‑party personal data, and does not perform profiling, tracking, or enrichment of user data beyond what the user voluntarily provides.
7.2 Purpose of Processing
User data is processed solely for the following purposes:
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identity verification and account management;
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administration of access rights, roles, and group memberships;
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enabling collaboration, communication, and content sharing within the Platform.
7.3 Visibility Within Groups
Users acknowledge and accept that:
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members of the same groups may view each other’s user profiles;
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profile visibility is limited to the information provided by the user (mandatory and optional fields);
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such visibility is an inherent and necessary feature of a collaborative professional platform.
Users are responsible for the accuracy and appropriateness of the information they choose to include in their profile, especially optional fields.
7.4 Disclosure to Third Parties
GLOWACON does not disclose user personal data to third parties.
Access to user data is limited to:
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GLOWACON platform administrators, strictly on a need‑to‑know basis;
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other users, only within the same groups, as described above.
7.5 Data Retention, Withdrawal, and Anonymisation
If a user voluntarily withdraws from the Platform, or if their account is suspended or terminated:
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the user account and associated personal profile will be removed;
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any content, contributions, or information previously posted by the user will remain on the Platform under the identity “Anonymous”;
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such content will no longer be attributable to the former user.
Once anonymised:
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content cannot be re‑attributed to the original user;
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re‑registration or re‑admission to the Platform will create a new and independent account, with no technical or administrative link to prior anonymised content.
This approach ensures continuity of shared knowledge while protecting individual identity after departure.
8. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law:
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GLOWACON provides the Platform “as is” and “as available”;
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no warranties are given regarding accuracy, reliability, or availability;
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GLOWACON shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages resulting from use or inability to use the Platform.
9. Changes to the Terms
These Terms may be updated at any time.
Significant changes will be communicated via the Platform where reasonably possible. Continued use of the Platform after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
10. Contact
For questions regarding these Terms or the operation of the Platform, please contact:
GLOWACON Platform Administration
Website: https://glowacon.org
Contact: https://cms.glowacon.org/contact
The GLOWACON Platform is based on technologies like Drupal, Keycloak, Nextcloud , Cloudflare, Qboxmail and Google Cloud.
By registering for or using the GLOWACON Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and Conditions.
PDF version: Download the PDF copy of these Terms and Conditions