OntoKit privacy policy
Last updated: November 4, 2026
This policy covers OntoKit: the collaborative ontology platform, its websites, and the shared OntoKit sign-in that other community tools may use. It applies to every OntoKit site, including preview and demonstration sites such as ontokit-demo.damienriehl.com, and to production sites as they launch. Communities use OntoKit to build open ontologies, including FOLIO and the Catholic Semantic Canon.
Who we are
The ALEA Institute and the Catholic Digital Commons Foundation (CDCF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, operate OntoKit together. ALEA stewards FOLIO; CDCF stewards the Catholic Semantic Canon. Each site names the organization responsible for it. Questions go to privacy@damienriehl.com.
What we collect
- Account details. When you register, we store your name, email address, and password (as a secure hash, never in plain text). When you sign in with Google or GitHub, we receive your name, email address, profile picture, and that provider's account ID.
- Your contributions. We store the edits, suggestions, comments, and notes you submit, and any name or email you choose to attach to a suggestion.
- Project roles. We record which projects you belong to and your role in each, such as contributor, reviewer, or administrator.
- Technical data. We record IP addresses to limit abuse and enforce rate limits, and we keep them with anonymous suggestions. Cookies keep you signed in. Our network provider records basic, aggregate visit statistics.
How we use it
- To sign you in, across every tool that uses OntoKit sign-in, and keep your account secure.
- To show your contributions to a project's reviewers and credit you for accepted work.
- To run, protect, and improve the service, including stopping spam and abuse.
We never sell your data or use it for advertising.
What becomes public
Ontologies on OntoKit stay open. When a reviewer accepts a change, it joins the project's public history, which may include a public GitHub repository. Those commits credit the name you chose, or "Anonymous", and use a no-reply address, never your email.
Services we rely on
- Cloud hosting providers run our servers and databases; today, Hetzner in the European Union.
- Cloudflare routes and protects traffic.
- GitHub stores public copies of project ontologies.
- Google and GitHub handle sign-in when you choose them.
- AI providers, today Anthropic, process ontology text when a project administrator uses AI assist. We send no account data to AI providers.
How long we keep it
We keep account and contribution data while your account stays active. Preview and demonstration sites may reset their data at any time. Ask us, and we will delete your account and the personal details attached to your contributions. Public project history may keep accepted changes, credited without your email.
Your choices
You may browse without an account and suggest edits without giving a name or email. To see, correct, export, or delete your data, email privacy@damienriehl.com.
Changes
When this policy changes, we will update the date above and, for significant changes, notify account holders.