Account Lifecycle, Conduct & Reporting

1 The persistent identity principle

X-PEN ID is built on a single foundational promise — your contributor identity is persistent. Once an X-PEN ID is associated with real contributions (publications, books, articles, education, employment, citations), that identity record is preserved for the long-term integrity of the scholarly and professional record.

A persistent identifier that vanishes is no identifier at all. Citation chains, co-author records, and verified affiliations depend on the X-PEN ID continuing to resolve — even decades later.

2 Account states

An X-PEN ID account exists in one of these states:

• Active — meets the active-profile criteria; fully visible; never auto-deleted
• Empty — has only the bare registration metadata; eligible for cleanup if not completed within 6 months
• Pending self-deletion — contributor has requested deletion; in 30-day grace window
• Picture-removed — contributor with associated work requested deletion; profile picture removed, identity record preserved
• Suspended — temporarily restricted pending review of a complaint or violation
• Terminated — permanently restricted following confirmed violation; recorded on the Public Integrity Register
• Deleted — empty profile removed during cleanup, or self-deletion completed for a profile with no associated work

3 Empty vs. active profile

The distinction between an empty profile and an active profile is the most important rule in our account lifecycle. It determines what happens to your profile over time.

4 Empty profile cleanup

Empty profiles dilute the value of the platform — every other contributor and every external reader benefits from a clean, meaningful registry. Therefore, accounts that remain entirely empty for an extended period are removed.

Cleanup applies only to truly empty profiles. The moment any meaningful content is added — bio, picture, education, experience, publication, or anything else — the profile is reclassified as active and the cleanup timer is removed permanently.

5 Contributor responsibility

X-PEN ID gives every contributor a permanent, structured identity. In return, contributors carry a few simple responsibilities:

• Complete your profile within the first year — at minimum, add a bio or picture
• Associate your X-PEN ID with publications, books, articles, employment, or any work where it should appear
• Keep your profile updated as your career grows — new credentials, new affiliations, new contributions
• Confirm changes when prompted (email confirmations, re-verification notices)
• Report problems if you notice fraud, impersonation, or misuse of identity records

These responsibilities are what keep the platform credible for everyone. A persistent identifier only works if contributors actively maintain their part of the record.

6 Self-deletion request

You can request deletion of your account at any time. What happens depends on whether your X-PEN ID has any associated work in the broader scholarly or professional record.

Case A — empty profile

If your profile is empty and your X-PEN ID is not associated with any external work:

• Deletion proceeds through the standard 30-day grace period
• Logging in during the grace period cancels the deletion
• After 30 days, the account is permanently removed and the X-PEN ID code is retired

Case B — active profile, no associated work

If your profile is active (has bio/picture/credentials) but the X-PEN ID is not yet referenced in any external publication, citation, or institutional record:

• You request deletion through Settings → Account → Delete Account
• A 30-day grace period applies — logging in cancels the deletion
• After 30 days, the account is permanently removed and the X-PEN ID code is retired

Case C — active profile with associated work

If your X-PEN ID is associated with any publication, book, article, citation, or external scholarly or professional record, full deletion is not possible. The persistent identity principle applies — your identifier is part of records that other contributors and readers depend on.

However, your privacy is still respected:

• Your profile picture is removed
• Your bio can be edited or cleared by you at any time
• Personal contact information (additional emails, phone, links) can be removed
• The identity record — your X-PEN ID, name, and verified credentials — remains preserved
• You can return at any time to update or expand your profile — your X-PEN ID is yours forever

7 What deletion preserves and what it removes

8 XRC-initiated termination

In specific cases, XRC may suspend or terminate an account independently of the contributor's wishes. This follows a structured review process.

Grounds

• Fake or impersonation profiles — confirmed identity misrepresentation
• Fabricated credentials — degrees, employment, or publications confirmed false
• Verification system abuse — manipulation of attestations, fake document submissions
• Terms of Service violations — harassment, threats, abuse of platform features
• Legal compulsion — court orders, sanctions compliance, regulatory action
• Confirmed public reports — substantiated complaints from third parties

Process

1. Complaint, report, or detection triggers a review
2. Account may be temporarily suspended while review is underway
3. Contributor is notified and given an opportunity to respond (where lawful)
4. Review concludes with one of: cleared, warning, suspended, blacklisted, or deleted
5. If the outcome is termination, the entry is recorded on the Public Integrity Register

9 Public Integrity Register

The Public Integrity Register is a transparency record of accounts that were terminated for documented integrity reasons — fake credentials, impersonation, fraud, or serious Terms violations.

• The register lists the X-PEN ID code, public name, and category of violation
• It does not publish supporting evidence, complainant identity, or private investigation details
• Affected contributors have 30 days to contest entries before they become permanent
• Once an entry is permanent, it remains as a public-record signal of confirmed integrity issues

The register exists to protect future readers, employers, journals, and other contributors who depend on the X-PEN ID system. It is not a punitive tool — it is a transparency tool.

10 Reactivation

• During the 30-day self-deletion grace period — just log in to cancel
• For empty profiles in cleanup countdown — add any bio, picture, or credential to stop deletion permanently
• For Case C profiles (picture removed) — log in any time and continue updating; your X-PEN ID is yours forever
• For suspended accounts — appeal in writing within 30 days of the suspension notice
• For terminated accounts on the Integrity Register — entries cannot be removed once permanent; the X-PEN ID code is retired forever

Once an X-PEN ID code is retired (through cleanup, completed self-deletion, or termination), it is never reassigned. If you wish to return after a permanent retirement, you would receive a new X-PEN ID code with a new identity record.

11 Acceptable use

Every contributor agrees to use X-PEN ID lawfully, honestly, and respectfully. The following are not permitted:

• Impersonation — creating profiles claiming to be another real person
• Fabrication — false credentials, invented publications, fake institutional links
• Verification fraud — forged documents, manipulated attestations, fake selfies
• Harassment — abuse, threats, or targeted attacks against other contributors
• Automated abuse — scraping, mass account creation, denial-of-service activity
• Misuse of attestation — vouching falsely for unknown people, selling attestations
• Commercial spam — using contributor profiles or messaging to promote unrelated products
• Unauthorized data extraction — collecting profile data outside our public API or beyond fair use

Detailed terms are set out in our Terms of Service. Violations are handled under the XRC-initiated termination process.

12 Reporting violations

X-PEN ID provides three reporting channels — designed to make genuine reports easy while filtering out anonymous or malicious submissions. The XRC Verification Team reviews every report carefully and treats reporter identity as strictly confidential.

Preferred — in-platform report (logged-in users)

Every public X-PEN ID profile carries a "Report this profile" button. This is the preferred channel for almost all reports.

• Available on every public profile page
• Pre-fills the reported X-PEN ID — no error in identification
• Choose from a structured list of reasons (impersonation, fabricated credentials, abuse, fraud, other)
• Add a short message and supporting evidence
• Submission is automatically linked to your verified X-PEN ID
• Your identity is never shared with the reported contributor

Allowed — institutional email reports

Some legitimate reporters cannot or do not wish to create an X-PEN ID account — for example, journal editors, university registrars, integrity offices, or publishers raising concerns about a contributor claiming affiliation with their institution.

• Email verify@xpenid.com from your official institutional domain
• Include the reported X-PEN ID code, the issue, and supporting evidence
• The sending domain must reasonably match the institution involved (e.g., a journal editor reporting from the journal's domain)
• Generic email providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook) are reviewed but carry lower priority
• XRC may follow up by phone or alternative channel to confirm authenticity

Discouraged — anonymous email reports

We accept reports from generic email addresses, but they receive the lowest priority and most scrutiny. Without a verifiable reporter, our team cannot:

• Confirm the reporter is acting in good faith
• Detect coordinated or biased reporting campaigns
• Follow up if more information is needed
• Protect the platform from frivolous or retaliatory reports

If you have a genuine concern, we strongly encourage reporting through the in-platform button — even creating an X-PEN ID just to file the report is preferable to anonymous email.

What every report should include

• The X-PEN ID code of the profile being reported
• A clear, specific category of concern
• A short description of the issue
• Supporting evidence where possible — links, public records, references, or contextual proof
• Your relationship to the matter, if relevant (institutional affiliation, co-author, named in the work, etc.)

After you report

• You receive an automatic confirmation of submission
• The XRC Verification Team triages the report within a reasonable window
• If more information is needed, we contact you (only if you submitted via in-platform or institutional email)
• Outcomes are logged internally; the reporter is generally not informed of the final decision to protect the privacy of the investigation
• If the report leads to termination, the entry appears on the Public Integrity Register after the contestation window

13 Cookies & tracking

X-PEN ID uses a small number of cookies and tracking technologies — only what is necessary for the platform to function and improve.

• Session cookies — essential for login and session management
• Preference cookies — remember language, theme, and basic settings
• Analytics — privacy-respecting analytics with IP anonymization (Google Analytics, Yandex Metrica)
• Location service — coarse city/country lookup via ip-api.com for basic geo features
• Weather service — OpenWeatherMap for the location-based weather strip in the menu

We do not use third-party advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or behavioural retargeting. Full details are listed in our Privacy Policy.

14 Third-party content & links

X-PEN ID profiles may contain links to external content — ORCID, journals, publications, institutional pages, and more. These links are added by contributors themselves.

• X-PEN ID does not control or guarantee the content of external sites
• Visiting linked sites is at your own risk and subject to those sites' terms
• If a linked site disappears or changes ownership, X-PEN ID is not responsible
• Contributors are encouraged to use stable, persistent identifiers (DOI, ORCID, ISBN) wherever possible

15 Changes to these policies

X-PEN ID may update these policies as the platform evolves. When meaningful changes are made:

• Active contributors are notified by email
• A summary of the change is posted on this page
• Where lawful, contributors have a reasonable window to respond before changes apply

Material changes that affect contributor rights — particularly around deletion, persistent identity, or the Public Integrity Register — will always be communicated transparently.

16 Contact

For questions about these policies or any specific situation:

• General questions — Contact form
• Privacy & data — privacy@xpenid.com
• Verification, suspensions & appeals — verify@xpenid.com
• Legal & compliance — legal@xpenid.com