Security and confidentiality

Submissions to the EditorialXML site and APIs travel over HTTPS. The free JATS validator runs validation on our servers: the file is sent to produce the result; it is not limited to a browser-only check.

In addition to file content, each free validation may create limited product analytics designed to minimize personal data: pass/fail outcome, validation profile, approximate country when enabled, size and duration buckets, and normalized issue codes derived from validation. Those codes are not device fingerprints.

Browser or device signals used for abuse prevention and rate limits are hashed for those purposes; they are not stored in the clear in free-validator product analytics.

• Quote form: optional attachments associated with the request and, when applicable, Cloudflare R2 storage.
• Free validator: XML processed on the server; encrypted retention only when Data Controls policy and your preference allow it.
• Paid and professional-export flows: XML processed for the report; not retained as an improvement sample.

Access to customer materials and operational data is limited to Lynsoft LLC personnel and contractors who need it to operate the Service, respond to requests, perform contracted work, provide support, or meet legal obligations, and who are bound by confidentiality duties at least as protective as those in the Terms.

Providers acting as processors (hosting, storage, email, security, payments) may process information on our behalf and under our instructions. Some may also process limited information for their own legal, regulatory, security, or fraud-prevention purposes, as described in their notices.

Authorized internal access to retained free-validator improvement samples is restricted to authorized accounts. That access is logged without storing XML content. Files retrieved through internal tools are not cached for reuse, and access is not possible after expiry, withdrawal, or deletion.

Timelines depend on the channel (see the table). For the free validator, turning off product-improvement retention in Data Controls affects future validations: files are still processed for the result, but are not kept to improve or train. Content already retained may continue to be used until it expires (generally within 180 days of storage) or is deleted earlier.

To request deletion of eligible retained XML linked to your account or browser, email [email protected]. There is no self-serve delete control for past samples on the Data Controls page. Deleting a retained sample does not undo training completed before the request.

Operationally, a scheduled cleanup process expires samples, wipes active ciphertext, and applies configured retention policies. Deletion immediately removes the active encrypted database record. Historical database backups may retain encrypted copies until the hosting provider’s backup-retention cycle completes; we do not promise immediate erasure from those historical backups.

• Quote requests and associated attachments: generally up to 12 months from last communication, unless an active project or legal duty requires longer.
• Technical website logs: generally up to 90 days, or longer for an active security or legal investigation.
• Legal acceptance records (version, locale, hash, timestamp): kept as proof of the agreement and are not deleted when an account or order is removed.

Operational Service data is stored in databases and supporting systems managed for EditorialXML (including PostgreSQL for application records). Quote-form attachments may be stored in Cloudflare R2.

Free-validator improvement samples are stored encrypted with AES-256-GCM. Key material is not written to PostgreSQL; it lives in server environment secrets. Each active sample stores ciphertext, IV, authentication tag, and policy metadata (fixed expiry at storage time, provenance, policy version).

This page does not assert a specific hosting geography beyond what the Privacy Notice describes. No transmission or storage system is completely secure; we apply reasonable measures and document honest limits (including backups).

Retaining encrypted XML does not mean it is automatically used in training. Retention and selection into a training dataset are separate steps. Including retained content in a training dataset requires an explicit, audited decision.

Content that has been deleted, expired, withdrawn, identified as sensitive or restricted, or otherwise ineligible cannot be newly selected for training. A later increase in the configured retention period does not extend samples already stored.

Paid guest validations and authenticated professional exports are treated as private and excluded from training: their content is not retained as an improvement sample and is not used to train EditorialXML systems under the free-validator policy.

We use providers necessary to operate EditorialXML: hosting, file storage, email delivery, security, fraud prevention, payment processing, and technical support.

Providers named in the Privacy Notice include Stripe (report payments and related purchases) and Cloudflare services used on the quote form (including Turnstile, R2 storage, and email sending). These providers process information as described in that Notice and in their own privacy notices.

We do not invent additional subprocessors here. If your institution needs a more detailed contractual list for a project, request it under a Service Agreement or data-processing addendum.

The Terms of Service include a mutual confidentiality clause. “Confidential Information” means non-public information disclosed in connection with the Service that is identified as confidential or that a reasonable person would understand to be confidential, including unpublished manuscripts, pricing, methodologies, and technical and business information.

Confidentiality obligations for unpublished manuscripts continue until the manuscript is lawfully published, released from confidentiality in writing, or otherwise enters the public domain without breach. For other Confidential Information, duties apply while the relationship continues and for three (3) years afterwards, and for as long as the information qualifies as a trade secret under applicable law. On written request, each party will return or delete the other party’s Confidential Information, subject to legal retention duties and routine backups overwritten on their normal cycle.

That clause does not authorize submitting confidential, embargoed, or peer-review content through the free JATS validator, and it does not override the licenses and limits in that section of the Terms. A Service Agreement may add stricter confidentiality terms, an NDA, or a Data Processing Addendum for a specific project. We do not publish a downloadable NDA template; institutional requirements are negotiated in writing. Contact [email protected].

If the XML is embargoed, is peer-review material, or its submission, retention, or use for product improvement would violate confidentiality, copyright, licensing, or other restrictions: do not use the free validator with default retention.

Options: turn off product-improvement retention in Data Controls before validating; use a paid report or professional export (private flows without improvement samples); or commission the work under a Service Agreement with stronger confidentiality.

Submit content only if you have the necessary rights or authorization. The free validator is not intended for directly identifiable patient data or other sensitive personal information. If we identify such information in retained content, we may delete the sample and exclude it from improvement or training datasets.

• Data Controls: editorialxml.com/validator/data-controls (localized paths on the site).
• Privacy Notice and Terms: binding documents with the full detail.
• Contact for IT or committee review: [email protected].