Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 30, 2026

Fo Guang Dictionary of Buddhism (FGDB) is committed to protecting your privacy and safeguarding your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how Fo Guang Shan (“we,” “us,” or “our”), as the operator of FGDB, collects, uses, stores, discloses, and protects personal information when you use this Website and related services (the “Website”).

By using the Website, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy.

Information We Collect

User Account Information. When you create or maintain an account with us, we may collect information necessary to register, identify, and manage your account. This may include your name, email address, username, account credentials, country, and other profile information you choose to provide. Certain profile information, such as gender or educational background, may be optional where offered. We collect and use account information only for purposes related to account administration, authentication, Website access, communication, security, and the provision of our services.

Usage and Search Data. When you use the Website, we may collect information about how you interact with its features and content. This may include search queries and terms looked up, pages or entries viewed, the date and time of access, approximate duration of visits, and other related usage information. We use this information to operate and improve the Website, understand how users interact with FGDB, evaluate search and content performance, and maintain the quality and reliability of our services.

Technical and Session Records. When you access or use the Website, we may automatically collect certain technical and session information necessary to operate, secure, and maintain the Website. This may include your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, device type, operating system, session information, date and time of access, and related technical activity. We use this information to maintain Website security, prevent misuse, troubleshoot technical issues, monitor system performance, and improve the reliability of our services.

Cookies. We use cookies and similar technologies to support essential Website functions, maintain user sessions, remember certain preferences, and help us understand how users interact with the Website. Some cookies are necessary for features such as account login, authentication, and session management. We may also use analytics cookies or similar technologies to measure Website usage and improve the performance and usability of our services. You can configure your browser to block, restrict, or delete cookies. However, disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Website or prevent some features from working properly. Where required by applicable law, we will obtain your consent before using non-essential cookies or similar technologies.

Third-Party Analytics. We may use third-party analytics services, such as Google Analytics, to help us understand how users interact with the Website and to improve its performance, content, and usability. These services may collect or process information such as pages or entries viewed, approximate geographic information, browser and device information, session activity, and identifiers associated with cookies or similar technologies. The information collected and the way it is processed may depend on the configuration of the analytics service, applicable legal requirements, and your privacy or cookie preferences. Third-party analytics providers process information in accordance with their own terms and privacy practices. Where required by applicable law, we will obtain your consent before using non-essential analytics cookies or similar technologies. You may manage or restrict analytics cookies through the privacy controls provided on the Website, where available, or through your browser settings.

Use of Personal Information

We use personal information only as necessary to operate, maintain, secure, and improve the Website and its related services. Depending on how you use the Website, we may use your personal information to:

• Create, manage, and authenticate user accounts
• Provide access to Website features and services
• Process and respond to inquiries, requests, or support needs
• Maintain Website security, prevent misuse, and investigate technical or security issues
• Monitor Website performance and improve search functionality, content, usability, and service quality
• Analyze Website usage and understand how users interact with FGDB
• Communicate service-related information, such as important notices or changes to the Website
• Comply with applicable legal obligations, court orders, or other lawful requests
• Protect our rights, users, systems, and services where necessary

We will not use personal information for purposes that are materially different from those described in this Privacy Policy without providing appropriate notice or obtaining consent where required by applicable law.

Legal Bases for Processing

Where applicable data protection law requires us to identify a legal basis for processing personal information, we may rely on one or more of the following bases, depending on the circumstances:

• Performance of a contract or provision of a requested service, where processing is necessary to create or manage a user account or provide Website features and services
• Legitimate interests, where processing is necessary to operate, secure, maintain, improve, or protect the Website, provided that those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests
• Consent, where we ask for your consent for a particular processing activity, such as certain non-essential cookies or analytics technologies
• Compliance with legal obligations, where processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, or other legal requirements

Where required by applicable law, we will provide additional information about the specific legal basis that applies to a particular processing activity.

Disclosure of Personal Information

We do not sell, rent, or disclose personal information to third parties for their own independent purposes.

Where the Website uses third-party service providers, such as analytics services, those providers may process information on our behalf as necessary to provide their services and in accordance with applicable legal and contractual requirements.

We may also disclose personal information where required by applicable law, court order, legal process, or other lawful governmental request, or where reasonably necessary to protect our rights, users, systems, or services.

Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

These measures may include access controls, authentication procedures, secure hosting and system management practices, encryption where appropriate, regular backups, and ongoing monitoring or security assessments.

Access to personal information is limited to authorized personnel and, where necessary, service providers acting on our behalf who require such access for legitimate operational purposes and who are subject to appropriate confidentiality or security obligations.

Although we take reasonable steps to protect personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of personal information.

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, provide and maintain the Website and its services, comply with applicable legal obligations, resolve disputes, prevent misuse, and enforce our agreements.

Account information is generally retained for as long as your account remains active. After an account is deleted or closed, certain information may be retained for an additional period where necessary for legal, security, administrative, or record-keeping purposes.

Usage, technical, and analytics data may be retained for a limited period based on operational needs, system configuration, legal requirements, and the retention settings of applicable service providers.

When personal information is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, we will delete, anonymize, or otherwise dispose of it in accordance with applicable law and our data-retention practices.

Manage Your Personal Information

Depending on applicable law, you may have the right to access, review, correct, update, delete, or request restrictions on the use or disclosure of your personal information. You may also have the right to object to certain processing activities, withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, or request a copy of your personal information in a portable format where applicable.

To exercise your privacy rights or make a request concerning your personal information, please contact us at info@foguangdictionary.org and provide your name, contact information, and a clear description of your request.

To protect your privacy and security, we may ask you to verify your identity or provide additional information before processing your request. We may also need to observe specific procedures or limitations required by applicable law.

We will respond to privacy requests within the time period required by applicable law.

Privacy Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, technologies, or applicable legal requirements.

Any revised Privacy Policy will be posted on this Website with an updated “Last Updated” date. Where required by applicable law, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent before making material changes to how we collect, use, disclose, or otherwise process personal information.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect and process your personal information.