Your trust matters to us. This Privacy Policy explains, in plain language, what information the Pakistan Institution of Sciences and Technology (PIST) collects, why we collect it, and how we keep it safe.
It applies to this website and to the student, institute (ATP) and printer services we run. If anything here is unclear, just contact us — we are glad to explain.
We never sell your data
Your personal information is never sold or rented to anyone.
Your CNIC is encrypted
Sensitive identifiers like your CNIC are stored encrypted.
Only what we need
We collect the minimum needed to run your studies and awards.
You stay in control
Update your own contact details and password any time.
We collect only what we need to enrol you, run your studies, and issue and verify your awards.
Information you or your institute give us:
Your identity & contact: name, father’s / guardian’s name, CNIC or B-Form number, date of birth, gender, address, phone number and email.
Your photo: a passport-style photograph used on your card and documents.
Your academic details: the course you enrol in, your affiliated institute, roll and registration numbers, subjects, marks, results and grades.
Applications & requests: admission, examination, correction, verification and similar forms you or your institute submit.
Payment references: challan and fee payment details (tracking IDs and amounts) — we do not store your bank card or account credentials.
Information collected automatically:
Basic technical data: your IP address, browser and device type, and pages visited — used to keep the site secure and working.
Security logs: sign-ins and changes to a record are logged so we can protect accounts and keep an accurate history.
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How we use your information
To register and enrol you, and manage your student record.
To issue and verify diplomas, DMCs (result cards), reference letters and registration cards.
To process fees and admission/examination requests.
To contact you about your award, results, exams and important notices.
To keep our services secure, prevent fraud and misuse, and protect the integrity of every award.
To meet our legal, audit and record-keeping obligations.
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Public verification of awards
A PIST award is only useful if an employer can trust it. So, once your record is issued and published for verification, a limited part of it becomes checkable online by anyone who has your roll number.
What is shown publicly: your name, roll / registration number, course, result or grade, issuing institute and issue date. What is never shown publicly: your CNIC, contact details, photograph and payment information. A record is only public once it has been issued and marked online — records still in process are not publicly visible.
You can see exactly how this works on the How It Works page, or try it on the Verification page.
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How we share information
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only where it is necessary to run our services:
Your affiliated institute: the institute that enrolled you can see and manage the records it submitted for you.
Trusted service providers: companies that help us operate — for example website hosting and email delivery — and only for that purpose.
Authorities, when the law requires: where we are legally obliged to disclose information, or to protect our rights, users and the integrity of our awards.
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Cookies
We use a small number of cookies:
Essential cookies keep you signed in and protect the portals (for example, against cross-site request forgery). The site cannot work properly without these.
Basic analytics help us understand which pages are used so we can improve them.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, but some parts of the portals may then stop working.
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How we protect your data
The whole site is served over HTTPS (an encrypted connection).
Sensitive identifiers such as your CNIC are stored encrypted.
Staff access is role-based — people only see what their job needs.
Every sign-in and every change to a student record is logged, and records are backed up regularly.
No system can promise to be perfectly secure, but we take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your information.
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How long we keep it
Your academic record is part of a permanent official register — that is exactly what allows your award to be verified years later, by any employer, at any time. Operational data such as technical logs and analytics is kept only as long as it is needed and then removed.
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Your choices & rights
See or correct your record: ask your affiliated institute or contact PIST if any detail is wrong.
Manage your own account: update your contact details and change your password in the Student Portal.
Ask us about your data: you can ask what information we hold about you and how it is used.
Some information — such as your issued award in the official register — is kept for authenticity and cannot be deleted on request, because removing it would make your own certificate impossible to verify.
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Children’s privacy
Records for students who are minors are submitted and managed by their affiliated institute and guardians. We handle a minor’s information with the same care and only for education and award purposes.
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Other websites
Our site may link to other websites, and it uses Google Translate to offer the page in other languages. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of websites we do not control — please read their own policies.
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Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will post the new version here and update the “Last updated” date at the top. Please check back occasionally.
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How to contact us
If you have any question about this policy or your information, please reach out:
No. We never sell or rent your personal information. We only share it where it is needed to run your studies and awards, as explained in section 4.
Is my CNIC safe? +
Yes. Sensitive identifiers such as your CNIC are stored encrypted, the site runs entirely over HTTPS, and your CNIC is never shown on the public verification page.
Why can my diploma be found online? +
So employers can trust it. Once your award is issued and published, a limited part of your record can be verified by roll number. Private details like your CNIC, contact and photo are never public. See section 3.
How do I correct a mistake in my record? +
Contact your affiliated institute or PIST. You can also update your own contact details and password in the Student Portal.
Can I ask you to delete my data? +
You can ask us to remove non-record information. However, an issued award in the official register is kept for authenticity — deleting it would make your own certificate impossible to verify.
