Privacy Policy
Version 2026-10-15 · Effective October 15, 2026
Languages: English, Tagalog, Traditional Chinese. If the versions differ, the English version prevails.
In short (plain-language summary)
- This website is the official application portal for the Taiwan Tech IC Design Training Program 2027, run by the NTUST Office of International Affairs (OIA).
- We collect the information you give us to contact you, decide who is selected, and run the program.
- Only authorized program staff can see your application. Reviewers can read your application and documents but cannot download them. Passport copies and ID copies are seen only by administrators.
- We keep your information for 1 year after the selection process ends. After that we delete it permanently, and no one, including administrators and the website team, can recover it.
- Your information is stored on cloud services located in Singapore and may be viewed by staff in Taiwan.
- You can ask to see, correct or delete your information, and you can contact us at lizyap@mail.ntust.edu.tw.
- We use strong protections, but no system is completely secure, and we do not promise otherwise.
1. Who is responsible for your information
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), Room 402, International Building, No. 43, Sec. 4, Keelung Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei City 106335, Taiwan, acting through the Office of International Affairs (OIA) ("we", "us"). Privacy contact: lizyap@mail.ntust.edu.tw (OIA program team). We answer requests within 15 working days.
The website is run by NTUST's own team.
2. What we collect
| Category | Examples | When |
|---|---|---|
| Optional "About you" answers | Whether you are a Filipino citizen, current status, technical background, availability for Feb–Jul 2027, interests, how you heard about the program, whether you want application updates, questions you write | Only if you choose to fill them in after you create an account. They are optional and not needed to apply. |
| Account data | Email and password (stored only in protected, hashed form) | When you create an account |
| Application data | Full name, university or college, degree program or major, year of graduation or expected graduation | When you apply |
| Documents | Transcript of records, proof of English language proficiency and passport copy (required); graduation certificate or diploma, a Student ID or Philippine ID, letter of recommendation and other supporting documents (optional) | When you upload them |
| Passport copy | Identification page of your passport | Required with your application |
| Student ID or Philippine ID | A photo or scan of the card | Optional. Seen only by administrators and deleted, like the passport, if you are not shortlisted |
| Review data | Reviewers' scores and notes about your application (you cannot see these) | During selection |
| Consent records | Which version of this policy and the Terms you accepted, when, and in which language | When you accept |
| Technical and security data | IP address, device and browser type, time of access, actions taken (for example, a staff member viewing a document), error logs | Automatically |
We do not intentionally collect sensitive information such as health, religion or political views. Please do not include such information in free-text fields.
3. Why we use it
| Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|
| Run the application and selection | Check eligibility, review applications, contact you about interviews and results |
| Communicate with you | Confirmation emails, status updates, requests for missing documents, application-opening notices (if you asked for them) |
| Run the program | If you are selected: arrival, orientation, accommodation, insurance, visa and immigration support, program administration |
| Keep the service secure and fair | Prevent abuse, spam and unauthorized access; investigate incidents; keep audit records |
| Meet legal and funding requirements | Reporting to the funder (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan): counts and statistics, and details of selected participants needed for funding and reporting |
| Improve the program | Anonymized or aggregated statistics, for example how applicants heard about the program |
We do not sell your information and do not use it for advertising.
Legal basis / grounds (where required): your consent and what is needed to run the selection process, and legal obligations. The laws that apply include Taiwan's Personal Data Protection Act and, for applicants in the Philippines, the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
4. Who can see your information
| Who | What they can see |
|---|---|
| You | Your own information and your application status |
| Reviewers (OIA staff) | Applications and documents (except passports and IDs) in a view-only form; they can add notes and change status. They cannot download documents or export data. |
| Administrators (OIA program staff) | The above, plus passport and ID copies, and can export application data and download documents. All such actions are logged. |
| Super administrators (NTUST Computer Center and the website team) | System settings, user roles, retention and the activity log. |
| Service providers (see section 6) | Only what they need to provide their service. |
| The funder (MOFA) | Counts and statistics, and details of selected participants needed for funding and reporting. Other applicants' files are not shared with MOFA. |
| Other NTUST units, and immigration or consular offices | Only what they need to run the program for selected participants (for example accommodation, insurance and visas). |
| Other applicants | Only a university name, and only when at least two applicants have written the same name in the application form. It is then suggested to other applicants as they fill in their own form, so that a school is spelled the same way. It is never linked to you or to your application. |
Every staff view of a document and every export is recorded in an activity log.
5. How long we keep it
| Information | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Optional "About you" answers | The same as application data, or until you ask us to delete them |
| Account and application data and documents (all applicants) | 1 year after the selection process ends, then deleted permanently from the live system. Deletion is irreversible: it is done before the next program intake begins |
| Passport copies of applicants who are not shortlisted | Deleted by an administrator once shortlisting has ended |
| Review scores and notes | The same as application data |
| Consent records | 3 years, to prove consent |
| Activity (audit) logs | 1 year |
| Backups | Deleted or overwritten within 30 days after the original is deleted |
When the period ends we delete the information from the live system. It may remain in encrypted backups until they expire.
6. Where it is stored and who processes it for us
| Provider | Purpose | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Database, user accounts, file storage | Singapore |
| Vercel | Website hosting | The website runs in Singapore; public files are served from a global edge network |
| Email sending service (to be confirmed) | Sending emails | To be confirmed |
| Google reCAPTCHA | Bot protection on forms and sign-in | Google's infrastructure; data goes to Google when the check runs |
International transfer. Your information may be stored in Singapore and accessed from Taiwan, and may be processed by the providers above in other countries. We protect it with technical safeguards (encryption, access controls and activity logging), and we use providers that commit to protecting personal data in their data-processing terms. By using the service you acknowledge this transfer.
7. How we protect it
We use measures such as:
- encrypted connections and encrypted storage;
- private file storage with short-lived access links, no public file addresses;
- role-based access, so staff see only what they need; multi-factor authentication for staff;
- activity logging of staff access to documents and exports;
- automated security checks on uploaded files (type, size, and hidden or active content) before staff can view them. These checks are not a full antivirus scan;
- regular automated security tests and scans of the website and its code (no outside review has been arranged).
No online service is completely secure. We cannot guarantee that information will never be accessed without authorization. If a breach affects you, we will notify you and the relevant authorities without undue delay, aiming for within 72 hours of confirming the breach, and as required by law.
You can help by using a strong, unique password (at least 12 characters), not sharing your login, and logging out on shared devices. We will never ask for your password by email.
8. Cookies and similar technologies
- Strictly necessary cookies: keep you signed in and protect forms (session, security).
- Language: your chosen language is part of the web address (for example /en), so no cookie is needed for it.
- Google reCAPTCHA: loaded only on forms and sign-in pages; it may set its own cookies and collect device and interaction data, subject to Google's own privacy policy.
- We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. If analytics is ever added, this section will be updated first.
9. Your rights
Subject to the laws that apply to you, you can ask us to:
- tell you whether we hold information about you and give you a copy;
- correct or complete it;
- stop collecting, processing or using it, or object to certain uses;
- delete it, subject to legal and retention requirements;
- withdraw consent you gave (we may then be unable to continue with your application);
- receive your data in a portable form, where the law gives you that right.
To make a request, contact lizyap@mail.ntust.edu.tw. We may need to verify your identity. If you are unhappy with our answer, you may complain to us first, to the competent authority in Taiwan or, if you are in the Philippines, to the National Privacy Commission.
Not providing some information, for example required documents, may mean we cannot process your application.
10. Children
The program is for university students and graduates aged 18 or older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. You confirm that you are 18 or older when you create an account.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. We will publish the new version with its date. If a change is material, a notice will tell you which document changed, and you must accept the new version the next time you use the site, and we will not use new information in ways the old policy did not allow without asking you first.
12. Contact
National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), Office of International Affairs: oia@mail.ntust.edu.tw, +886-2-2730-3638. Room 402, International Building, No. 43, Sec. 4, Keelung Rd., Da'an Dist., Taipei City 106335, Taiwan. Privacy contact: lizyap@mail.ntust.edu.tw