Privacy

This notice describes data handling by the hosted SILKEN interface and its supporting Backend for Frontend (BFF). Connected archives, identity providers, and compute services maintain their own privacy and retention practices.

Both the standalone SILKEN entry and the CanDIAPL Multi-Messenger Portal entry use CADC OIDC through MMP. SILKEN does not present a CADC password field or receive an account password. An existing CADC OIDC session may satisfy the identity step without another prompt; MMP then passes a one-minute, single-use launch code and a matching HTTP-only browser-binding cookie. SILKEN submits both during server-to-server redemption, never stores the binding in session state, clears it on every callback exit, and immediately redirects the browser to a code-free URL.

The browser receives a signed cookie containing only an opaque SILKEN session identifier. Access tokens and private CANFAR connection details remain in server-side session state.

Short-lived server-side state may include your CADC username and access token, CANFAR backend identifier and connect route, an internal runtime secret, expiry information, and launch coordination locks. Redis is used as an expiring control plane so multiple replaceable web processes can resolve the same protected route; it is not the store for research products.

If you connect GitHub, SILKEN requests GitHub's broad repo OAuth scope so repository metadata can be listed; it does not request workflow access. Hosted cloning accepts public HTTPS repositories only, and GitHub OAuth tokens are never sent into a CANFAR runtime. If you connect CANFAR Harbor, SILKEN validates the existing CLI secret you paste and never generates or rotates it.

GitHub tokens and Harbor CLI secrets are encrypted in the expiring server-side session credential vault. They are not returned to the browser or written to ARC storage, tool manifests, commands, logs, outputs, or arbitrary tool containers. Disconnecting removes the encrypted credential; SILKEN also asks GitHub to revoke its token.

Saved sessions, selected layers, generated products, and job records may be written to .silken under your mounted CANFAR home or project storage. Those files remain subject to your CANFAR permissions and the storage policies of the underlying service.

Theme preferences are stored locally in your browser. Standard infrastructure logs may record information such as IP address, browser type, requested route, timestamp, response status, and diagnostic details needed for reliability and security monitoring.

Do not place credentials or sensitive unpublished values into fields intended for public catalog services.

SILKEN may authenticate with or request data and compute from CADC, CANFAR, Skaha, ARC storage, the CanDIAPL MMP and Arbutus services, GitHub, CANFAR Harbor, and external astronomy archives and catalog services. Requests sent to those services are governed by their respective policies.

Routing records expire according to the configured session lifetime and are removed on logout when possible. CANFAR workspaces and generated products persist so sessions can be restored until you remove them or the applicable storage policy removes them. Operational logs may follow separate security and troubleshooting retention periods.

For questions about SILKEN data handling, use the contact information on the CanDIAPL website or open an issue in the SILKEN repository.