Privacy Policy

Last updated: 25 September 2026

This policy explains what personal data IITM BS Students' Corner ("we") collects when you use the site, why, how long we keep it and the choices you have. It is written to meet India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Summary

• You can read everything on the site without an account.
• We run essential analytics that are pseudonymous: they tell us which pages help students, but they are not linked to your name or email.
• Detailed analytics, linked to your account, are off unless you opt in.
• We also use Google Analytics to count visits. It sets cookies only if you opt in to detailed analytics, and its advertising features are off.
• We never store your IP address, never sell data and never show ads.
• If you join our email list, we use your address only to send the study updates you asked for, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
• You can download or delete your data at any time from your dashboard.

What we collect

1. Essential analytics (always on)

To keep the site working, secure and useful we record:

• a random identifier stored in a first-party cookie (qh_aid) and a session identifier (qh_sid);
• the pages you view, the page that referred you, and campaign tags in the link (UTM parameters);
• how you use a page: scroll depth, time spent while the tab is visible, table-of-contents and link clicks, hint reveals, walkthrough views, copy actions, downloads and searches you type into our search box;
• your device type, browser, operating system and screen size;
• your approximate location at country and state level, derived from your IP address by our hosting provider;
• page performance measurements (Core Web Vitals) and error reports.

Your IP address is used only momentarily to derive the approximate location and a one-way hash that changes every day, which we use to prevent abuse. The address itself is never written to our database.

2. Detailed analytics (only if you opt in)

If you are signed in, are 18 or older, and choose detailed analytics, the same events are linked to your account and include your city. This lets us show you your reading history and progress, and helps us understand how students move through the course. You can switch it off at any time; we then stop linking new events to your account.

3. Your account

If you sign in with Google we receive your name, email address and profile picture. We also store the programme and term you choose, your bookmarks, reading history, progress ticks, and your consent choices.

4. Feedback

If you answer "Was this helpful?" or leave a comment, we store your answer, the page and — if you are signed in — your account.

5. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to count visits and see how people find the site. For every visit it receives the page address, the page that referred you, your device and browser type and your approximate location, without cookies. Only if you choose detailed analytics does it also set its own cookies (_ga, _ga_…) to recognise a returning browser. Google's advertising features are switched off, and Google Analytics does not store IP addresses.

Our host, Vercel, also counts visits without cookies.

6. Email list (only if you sign up)

If you enter your email address in a sign-up box, such as "Handpicked for your inbox" on a blog post, we store:

• your email address;
• the page you signed up on and its topic;
• the stage of the degree that page is about (for example qualifier, foundation or diploma), so the updates we send match where you are;
• the date you signed up;
• the pseudonymous analytics identifier of your browser (see Essential analytics above) and, if you are signed in, your account.

We add you to the list only when you sign up yourself. Signing up again with the same address changes nothing.

Cookies and local storage

Why we use it

• To run the site and keep it secure (essential analytics, sign-in).
• To decide which notes and walkthroughs to write or improve.
• With your consent, to power your personal history and progress.
• If you join the email list, to send you study updates that match where you are in the degree.

How long we keep it

• Raw analytics events: 13 months, then deleted automatically. We keep only daily totals (for example "page viewed 240 times") after that, which cannot identify anyone.
• Your account data: until you delete your account.
• Feedback: up to 13 months after we have reviewed it.
• Email list: until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you. Your address is then deleted from the list.

Who processes it for us

We use trusted providers to run the site: Supabase (database and sign-in), Vercel (hosting and visit counts), Cloudinary (images and files) and Google (sign-in and Google Analytics). They process data only on our instructions. If we start using a service to send emails to the email list, we will name it here before the first email goes out. We do not sell or rent personal data, and we do not use advertising trackers.

Your rights

You can:

• Access your data — use Download my data in your dashboard;
• Correct your profile details in your dashboard;
• Delete your account and associated data — use Delete my account in your dashboard;
• Withdraw consent for detailed analytics at any time from the cookie settings link in the footer;
• Unsubscribe from the email list at any time, with the unsubscribe link in any email from us or by writing to the contact form on this page;
• Raise a grievance with us at the contact form on this page, and if unresolved, with the Data Protection Board of India.

Children

Many qualifier applicants are still in school. If you are under 18, please use the site without signing in, or only with the consent of a parent or guardian. We do not enable detailed analytics for anyone who has not confirmed they are 18 or older.

Related

• Terms of use
• About this site
• Contact us

Changes

If we change this policy we will update the date at the top of this page.