Privacy Policy

Who We Are

JurisAtlas is a free Philippine legal research platform providing access to Supreme Court decisions and related legal materials. We are operated as an independent project based in the Philippines, and we are not affiliated with the Supreme Court, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, or any government agency.

For privacy-related concerns, contact us at privacy@jurisatlas.ph. We will respond within 15 business days.

What Data We Collect

1. Data you give us directly

If you create an account (when available):

• Email address — to identify your account and send essential service notices
• Password — stored as a one-way hash; we never see your plaintext password
• Display name — optional, used in study groups and annotations if you choose to share them

2. Data we collect automatically

Server logs: When you visit any page on JurisAtlas, our servers record your IP address, the page requested, the referring URL, and a timestamp. These logs are retained for 30 days for security and debugging purposes and are not linked to individual user profiles.

Analytics: We use privacy-respecting analytics that does not use cookies, does not fingerprint your device, and does not share data with third parties. We see aggregate traffic data — page views, session counts, popular search terms — not individual user journeys.

Search queries: Search terms entered on JurisAtlas may be stored in aggregate to improve search relevance. Individual search histories are not linked to IP addresses or accounts unless you are logged in and have enabled search history in your settings.

3. Data we do not collect

• We do not use advertising trackers or marketing pixels.
• We do not use third-party behavioural tracking.
• We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with data brokers or marketing companies.
• We do not collect your location beyond what your IP address incidentally reveals.

Cookies & Local Storage

Current state — no-account platform

JurisAtlas currently uses no cookies. Your preferences (dark mode, font size, recent searches) are stored in your browser's localStorage — a local mechanism that never leaves your device and is never transmitted to our servers.

When you create an account

Upon login, JurisAtlas will set a single session cookie — an encrypted token that identifies your authenticated session. This is a strictly necessary functional cookie under the Philippine Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173). It does not track your behaviour; it simply keeps you logged in.

We will never set cookies for advertising, behavioural profiling, or cross-site tracking.

How We Use Your Data

We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

Who We Share Data With

We share data only with carefully selected infrastructure and service providers, strictly to operate the platform. These include providers for database hosting, website hosting and delivery, and error monitoring. Each provider receives only the minimum data necessary to perform their function.

What we commit to:

• No provider receives your data for their own marketing or advertising purposes
• All providers are bound by data processing agreements
• We do not use providers based in jurisdictions without adequate data protection standards

We do not share data with Philippine government agencies except where required by law and subject to lawful process. We will notify affected users of any such request to the extent permitted by law.

Data Retention

Your Rights Under RA 10173

As a data subject under the Philippine Data Privacy Act of 2012, you have the right to:

• Be informed — know what personal data we hold about you
• Access — request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification — correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure or blocking — request deletion of your data where there is no lawful basis for continued processing
• Object — object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• File a complaint — lodge a complaint with the National Privacy Commission

Data Security

We implement the following measures to protect your data:

• All data in transit is encrypted via TLS 1.2 or higher
• Passwords are hashed using a strong one-way algorithm before storage
• Database access is restricted by row-level security policies
• Session tokens are rotated on each login
• We conduct periodic reviews of access controls

No security measure is perfect. In the event of a data breach affecting your personal data, we will notify you and the National Privacy Commission within 72 hours of discovery, as required by NPC Circular 16-03.

Children's Privacy

JurisAtlas is intended for law students, legal professionals, and adult members of the public. We do not knowingly collect personal data from persons under 18 years of age. If you believe a minor has submitted personal data to us, contact us at privacy@jurisatlas.ph and we will delete it promptly.

Third-Party Links

JurisAtlas may link to the official SC e-Library, the Official Gazette, and other external legal sources. This Privacy Policy does not cover those sites. We encourage you to review their privacy practices before providing personal information.

Changes to This Policy

We will post any changes to this policy on this page with an updated effective date. For material changes — ones that affect your rights or how we use your data — we will notify registered users by email at least 14 days before the change takes effect.

Contact

For privacy concerns: