Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

Swayambhu is built to be privacy-first. We collect only the minimum information needed to give you a good exam-prep experience.

Account data you provide: Name, email/username, password (stored only as a secure salted hash), and optional profile details you choose to add.
Practice & performance data: Quiz scores, mock-test attempts, selected answers, timestamps, and session analytics — generated by you when you use the platform.
Contact submissions: Anything you send through the Contact form (name, email, subject, message body).
Automatic, non-identifying data: Browser user-agent, rough geographic region (country-level from IP), referring site, and error logs — used solely for debugging & abuse prevention. IP addresses are not permanently linked to user accounts.

2. How we use your data

To sign you in, remember your progress, and serve personalized performance analysis (so you know which subjects to study next).
To generate rankings and leaderboards among logged-in users (always anonymisable on request).
To reply to your contact form submissions or donation queries.
To protect the service: detect abuse, prevent brute-force logins, and block bad actors.
Never for advertising, user profiling, or selling to third parties.

We do not sell user data. Ever.
We use a managed MySQL database provider (e.g. Railway, PlanetScale, or similar hosted MySQL) to store account & progress data — encrypted at rest and in transit.
Optional AI features (PDF-to-questions importer) call external providers (Google Gemini, OpenAI, OpenRouter) depending on configuration. PDF text is sent only when YOU click the import button, and is never used for training by those providers per their public API terms.
We may disclose data only if legally compelled (valid court order / law-enforcement request) or to protect the safety of users or the service.

4. Cookies & local storage

Essential cookies only — a signed session cookie to keep you logged in between page loads. Without it, you'd have to log in on every click.
Local storage (in-browser) is used for the welcome-banner dismissal and light UI preferences — never for tracking.
No third-party tracking cookies (no Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, Hotjar, etc.) — we respect your attention.

5. How we protect your data

Passwords are hashed with Werkzeug's industry-standard PBKDF2 (salted, multi-iteration) — never stored as plaintext.
All traffic uses HTTPS/TLS on the live hosted version.
Sessions are signed server-side with a secret key and expire automatically.
Database backups are encrypted and access-restricted.

6. Your rights

You can, at any time, for free:

Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you (account + practice history, in JSON).
Request full deletion of your account & all associated data (we keep nothing unless required by law).
Request correction of wrong data (e.g. wrong name/email).
Opt out of any future non-essential communication (you already are opted out by default — we send zero marketing emails).

Send any of these requests via the Contact page — handled personally by Sharath within a few days.

7. Children's privacy

Swayambhu is designed for competitive-exam aspirants (generally 18+). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we become aware of such an account, we will delete it promptly.

8. Changes to this policy

Material changes will be announced via a site banner for 30 days before taking effect, and the "Last updated" date at the top will be revised. Your continued use after the notice period means you accept the revised policy.

9. Questions?

Privacy is not a fine-print topic for me. If anything above is unclear or you want to discuss any concern, please write to me directly — I'll reply personally.

— Sharath, creator & maintainer, Swayambhu