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PoPETs is Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies, a scholarly open-access journal that publishes the papers presented at the annual Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS). It is not software and not a toy line: the name belongs to a venue where researchers publish work on the design, analysis and deployment of privacy-enhancing technologies. This guide explains how the journal relates to the symposium, what it charges, how its four yearly issues and review cycle work, and what artifact review and SoK papers are. Facts come from the PETS call for papers for PETS 2026 and the PoPETs proceedings page, read on 2026-11-07.
What PoPETs is
PoPETs is the journal of the PETS community. The proceedings page at petsymposium.org lists yearly volumes from 2015 onward; the earlier PET Workshop proceedings (2000 to 2006) appeared as Springer books. According to that page, PoPETs was published by De Gruyter Open (Sciendo) before 2022 and has been self-published since. The call for papers describes it as “a scholarly, open-access journal.”
The call defines the scope as novel practical or theoretical research into the requirements, design, analysis, experimentation or fielding of privacy-enhancing technologies. Submissions must have strong ties to privacy and must contribute to real privacy applications that run in real systems. Theoretical work without those ties carries a particularly high risk of being desk-rejected. Interdisciplinary work on privacy needs, preferences and expectations is in scope when it is clear how the findings can affect the design, development or deployment of technology.
PoPETs vs the PETS symposium
PETS is the annual symposium (the 26th, PETS 2026, runs 20 to 25 July 2026 in Calgary, hybrid); PoPETs is where its papers are published. Authors submit to the journal, and accepted papers are presented at the symposium. The two names are used together in the community, which is why searches for the journal and the symposium overlap.
Publication model and fees
The PETS 2026 call states that PoPETs “is self-published and does not have article processing charges or article submission charges.” It is open access, so readers do not pay either. For background on the model, see the CASRAI term open access.
Issues, deadlines and decisions
PoPETs accepts submissions four times a year, every three months. The PETS 2026 call lists these dates, all at 23:59:59 Anywhere on Earth (UTC-12):
| Issue | Submission deadline | Author notification | Revision deadline | Camera-ready |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 May 2025 | 1 Aug 2025 | 1 Sep 2025 | 15 Sep 2025 |
| 2 | 31 Aug 2025 | 1 Nov 2025 | 1 Dec 2025 | 15 Dec 2025 |
| 3 | 30 Nov 2025 | 1 Feb 2026 | 1 Mar 2026 | 15 Mar 2026 |
| 4 | 28 Feb 2026 | 1 May 2026 | 1 Jun 2026 | 15 Jun 2026 |
The call labels each submission deadline as firm. Dates for later symposia (such as PoPETs 2027) are published in that year’s call on petsymposium.org.
How review works
- Decisions. Authors receive one of three outcomes: accept, revise or reject.
- Revisions. Authors may take up to four months after the notification date. A revision accepted within one month of notification appears in that issue; one accepted between one and four months appears in the following issue. Papers that do not incorporate the required revisions by the following issue’s revision deadline are rejected.
- Rebuttal. There is a short rebuttal phase. New in the 2026 call: authors may submit a separate 250-word rebuttal to each individual review.
- Resubmission after rejection. Authors of rejected papers must skip a full issue before resubmitting. A paper rejected from Issue 1 cannot be resubmitted until Issue 3 or later.
The call also points authors to separate submission guidelines for anonymising submissions, ethical research and the use of AI in writing or editing. Related venue-process background is in the CASRAI term peer review and our guides to PMLR and Transactions on Machine Learning Research.
Artifacts and SoK papers
Artifacts. Artifact submission is optional but strongly encouraged, and artifacts are requested from authors of all accepted papers. An artifact committee reviews them for issues such as software bugs, readability of documentation and appropriate licensing. Approved artifacts receive a badge and a link from the paper’s page.
SoK papers. Systematization of Knowledge papers are solicited. They must include “SoK:” in the title and tick the corresponding option in the submission form. The call states that survey papers without a systematizing contribution are not suitable.
Awards
The PETS 2026 call lists the Caspar Bowden PET Award (for a paper that appeared in a refereed venue between 1 April 2025 and 30 March 2026), the Andreas Pfitzmann Best Student Paper Award (for papers written solely or primarily by a student invited to present), and an Artifact Award for artifacts of accepted PETS 2026 papers.
What PoPETs is used for in research
Researchers use PoPETs as a publication venue for work on privacy-enhancing technologies, and read it as the archive of PETS papers. It is a venue, not software: there is nothing to install, and “using” it means reading volumes or submitting a paper.
Access (official source only)
Read the current call for papers and the yearly proceedings volumes on the official PETS site, petsymposium.org/popets. The journal is open access, so reading needs no subscription. Take submission links and deadlines only from the current call, not from third-party listings.
Steps to submit a paper
- Open the current call for papers and check that the work fits the scope: strong ties to privacy and a contribution to real privacy applications.
- Read the separate submission guidelines linked from the call on anonymisation, ethical research and the use of AI in writing or editing.
- Choose the issue and note its submission deadline (23:59:59 Anywhere on Earth, UTC-12; firm per the call).
- Submit through the submission form linked from the call. For a Systematization of Knowledge paper, put “SoK:” in the title and tick the SoK option.
- Use the rebuttal phase to answer reviews, with a separate 250-word rebuttal per review in the 2026 call.
- On a revise decision, complete the required revisions within four months of notification. After acceptance, submit the camera-ready version and optionally an artifact.
Output: what you get
Accepted papers are published open access in the relevant issue and volume, with no author charges according to the 2026 call. Approved artifacts receive a badge and a link from the paper’s page.
Troubleshooting
- Desk rejection. The call warns that theoretical work without strong privacy and real-system ties carries a particularly high risk of desk rejection.
- Rejected and want to resubmit. You must skip a full issue; a paper rejected from Issue 1 cannot be resubmitted until Issue 3 or later.
- Missed the revision window. Papers that do not incorporate required revisions by the following issue’s revision deadline are rejected.
- Cost worries. The 2026 call states there are no article processing or submission charges.
Free alternatives
No paid tier exists to replace: PoPETs is itself free to read and, per the 2026 call, free to publish in.
Frequently asked questions
What does PoPETs stand for?
Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies, the open-access journal of the PETS community.
Is PoPETs the same as PETS?
No. PETS is the annual symposium; PoPETs is the journal that publishes its papers.
Does PoPETs charge authors?
The PETS 2026 call states there are no article processing charges or article submission charges.
PoPETs 2026 and PoPETs 2027: where are the dates?
The table above covers the four issues listed in the PETS 2026 call. Each later symposium publishes its own call and proceedings volume at petsymposium.org.
What is the PoPETs acceptance rate?
The call for papers and proceedings page do not state an acceptance rate, so none is given here.
Where does PoPETs fit among security venues?
For another systems-and-security venue with open proceedings, see USENIX; for the field itself, see What Is Cybersecurity?
Sources
- PETS 2026 Call for Papers, petsymposium.org/cfp26.php, read 2026-11-07.
- Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies, petsymposium.org/popets, read 2026-11-07.
