This site is provided by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on an "as is" basis. CSE makes no representations or warranties of any kind express or implied, as to the operation of the site or the information, content, materials, or products or delivery periods included on this site. To the full extent permissible by applicable law, CSE disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, delivery periods and fitness for a particular purpose. CSE will not be liable for any damages of any kind arising from the use of this site, including, but not limited to direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, and consequential damages.

CSE, as the administrator of the India Environment Portal, has adopted a set of information management guidelines that serve as the basis for our relationship with the portal's users. We track e-mail addresses of those users who wish to receive certain information services from our website, including but not limited to newsletters, e-mail lists, and online discussion forums. During the registration process, we reserve the right to collect certain demographic information (address, age, occupation) as well as an e-mail address, name and a unique password supplied by the user. We have clearly marked which information is optional and which is mandatory.

For any transaction that involves online payment, the India Environment Portal will use a secure online payment gateway to process such payments, and will not store the credit card information of the user.

The portal may employ cookies to recognize users and user access privileges and to track portal's usage. The portal may also log IP addresses, or the location of the user's computer on the Internet, for systems administration and troubleshooting purposes.

We perform statistical analyses of user behaviour in order to measure interest in the various areas of our site for future content development purposes. However, we do not disclose such information to other parties, or to our advertisers. Personal information about users as individual subscribers will not be provided to any third party without their express consent.

Using the e-mail addresses provided at registration, we construct mailing lists used for regular newsletters and occasional promotional e-mails. We may contact users regarding account status, changes to the subscriber agreement, and to confirm registration via e-mail.

Addresses provided by registered users may occasionally be used for sending promotional materials regarding CSE activities. We maintain active links with many NGOs in India and abroad who are working towards common goals. In some cases contact information may be provided on a one-time usage basis to other organisations.

The e-mail addresses that users supply to use any service provided by the portal will not be used for any other purpose without their consent.

The India Environment Portal may offer discussion forums, message boards and other online collaborative tools. Any information disclosed when posting a message in these forums becomes public.

We may disclose personal information if we are required to do so by law or we in good faith believe that such action is necessary to (1) comply with the law or with legal process; (2) protect and defend our rights and property; (3) protect against misuse or unauthorized use of the India Environment Portal online; or (4) protect the personal safety or property of our users or the public (among other things, this means that if you provide false information or attempt to pose as someone else, information about you may be disclosed as part of any investigation into your actions).

Upon request, we will a) Remove user information from our database thereby cancelling that user's registration; b) Correct personal information that a user states is erroneous; or c) Permit a user to "opt out" of further e-mail contact (excepting notification of major changes to the service or privacy policies) while still allowing access to the site. To request a correction or cancellation, visit the Personalize page.

If any person chooses to use the India Environment Portal (herein the Service), he or she will be agreeing to abide by all of the terms and conditions contained in this statement.

The India Environment Portal reserves the right to change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of the service at any time, including the availability of any of the service's features, databases or content. The India Environment Portal may also impose limits on certain features and services or restrict user access to parts or all of the service without notice or liability.

The India Environment Portal reserves the right to change or update the terms, conditions, and features of the service in order to address new issues, without prior intimation to its subscribers. We will, however, post such changes online. By using these services after we post changes, you indicate your acceptance to those changes.

The contents of the Service are intended for non-commercial use, unless otherwise stated.

The India Environment Portal is being developed to facilitate comprehensive public access to information and data related to environment and development. It is in this spirit that in the first phase of development of the portal, the entire resources of the Centre for Science and Environment have been made publicly available for free. This includes the entire archive of the fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth – roughly 40,000 researched articles. These in-depth articles were earlier available only to subscribers of the magazine. In addition, all content produced by the Centre for Science and Environment, including publication abstracts, policy briefs and research papers, factsheets, posters and illustrations, among others, have been made publicly available through the portal for non-commercial use.

The management of the India Environment Portal will apply for all CSE-related content being made available through the portal to be copyrighted under the Creative Commons License.

The India Environment Portal also makes available content produced, owned or controlled by other organisations or institutions, and which may be protected under various national and international copyright regimes by the providers of the content. Users shall abide by the relevant copyright notices, information, or restrictions contained in any Content accessed through the Service (including, but not limited to news articles, feature articles, opinion pieces, book abstracts, e-documents, photographs, images, illustrations, audio and video clips, also known as "Content").

In the event a user has a claim of copyright infringement with respect to material that is contained in the Service, please notify us immediately.

Users shall not upload to, or distribute or otherwise publish on the discussion forums any libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise illegal material. Similarly, the forums shall be used only in a non-commercial manner. Content of messages on the forum are the responsibility of the users posting them. The India Environment Portal maintains no responsibility for these messages but reserves the right to delete, move, or edit messages that it, in its sole discretion, deems abusive, defamatory, obscene, in violation of copyright or trademark laws, or otherwise unacceptable.

You hereby indemnify, defend and hold harmless the India Environment Portal and all officers, directors, owners, agents, information providers, affiliates, licensors and licensees (collectively, the "Indemnified Parties") from and against any and all liability and costs, including, without limitation, reasonable lawyers' fees, incurred by the Indemnified Parties in connection with any claim arising out of any breach by any user of this Agreement or the foregoing representations, warranties and covenants.

The India Environment Portal does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement, or other information displayed, uploaded, or distributed through the Service by any user, information provider or any other person or entity. Users acknowledge that any reliance upon any such opinion, advice, statement, memorandum, or information shall be at their sole risk. Services are being provided on an "as-is" basis without warranty or guarantee of any kind, express or implied.

A user may terminate his or her account at any time by sending e-mail to the service or indicating so through the Service itself. The India Environment Portal may, in its sole discretion, terminate or suspend a user's access to all or part of the Services for any reason, including, without limitation, breach or assignment of this Agreement.

The India Environment Portal reserves the right at any time to charge fees for access to portions of the Service or the Service as a whole. However, in no event will a user be charged for access to the Service unless we obtain the user's prior agreement to pay for such charges. Thus, if at any time, the India Environment Portal requires a fee for portions of the Service that are now free, we will give you advance notice of such fees and the opportunity to cancel the account before such charges are imposed.