Privacy Policy

HSIncubator is an educational social platform operated as an unincorporated project by two high-school founders in India: Adhulan Rajkamal and Pranav Ilango. For privacy questions or requests, contact admin@hsincubator.in.

This Policy applies globally and is designed to satisfy the EU GDPR, UK GDPR, California CCPA/CPRA, and India’s DPDP Act (2023). Where local law conflicts with this Policy, we comply with the law that applies.

• Account & Profile. Name, email, username, and avatar (including user-uploaded profile and group-chat pictures). We donot collect school grade.
• Study Telemetry. Subject/PDF open & close timestamps, time spent studying, self-rated understanding (1–3 scale), and reminder history.
• Content. User-uploaded PDFs, personal highlights/notes (private to you), and access logs for HSIncubator notes.
• Social Graph. Friends and requests, group-chat membership, and forum participation.
• Communications. Direct messages, group chats, forum posts, reactions, user reports/flags, and emails sent toadmin@hsincubator.in.
• AI Interactions. PDF-specific AI chat history retained only to maintain continuity; it is deleted automatically when the corresponding PDF is deleted. We do not keep other AI logs.
• Cookies & Analytics. Page views, clickstream, and similar usage metrics collected via analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics). While we do not deliberately capture IP/device fingerprints, analytics providers may process such data pursuant to their own policies.

Sensitive Data: We do not collect sensitive personal data (e.g., health, biometrics, precise geolocation, government IDs) and ask that you do not upload it.

We use personal data for the purposes below. Where GDPR/UK GDPR applies, the corresponding legal basis is noted.

• Provide core services. Accounts, notes, friendships, group chats, and forums. Legal basis: Contract; Legitimate Interests (service delivery).
• Study analytics. Tracking study duration, understanding scores, reminders, and progress visualizations. Legal basis:Legitimate Interests (features you opt to use); Consent for optional reminders where required.
• Safety & moderation. AI and human review, abuse/spam detection, and enforcement actions. Legal basis: Legitimate Interests; Legal Obligation when applicable.
• Product improvement. Feature usage analytics, UX diagnostics, and aggregate statistics. Legal basis: Legitimate Interests; Consent when mandated by cookie/analytics rules.
• Communications. Transactional emails for accounts, service notifications, and policy updates. Legal basis: Contract; Legitimate Interests (service notices).
• Support. Responding to user emails or bug reports sent toadmin@hsincubator.in. Legal basis: Contract; Legitimate Interests.
• Personalization. Tailored study nudges or suggestions based on your activity. Legal basis: Legitimate Interests; Consent where required.
• Marketing. Optional newsletters or promotional emails (no behavioral advertising). Legal basis: Consent; you can unsubscribe at any time.
• Compliance & legal. Comply with law, enforce our Terms, and handle disputes. Legal basis: Legal Obligation; Legitimate Interests.

We do not engage in cross-site behavioral advertising/retargeting and do not sell or share personal information for such advertising.

We share personal data with service providers (sub-processors) who help operate HSIncubator. They act on our instructions and are contractually bound to protect the data they process.

• Vercel (hosting/build)
• Firebase / Google Cloud (Auth, Firestore/RTDB, Storage, Functions)
• Cloudflare (CDN/media delivery)
• Google Analytics (usage analytics)
• Giphy SDK (GIF search/display; see Section 6)

We do not share personal data with other third parties except as required by law or to protect rights, safety, and security.

• Proxying. GIF search requests are proxied via our backend; we do not attach your user identifiers to those requests.
• Storage. When you send a GIF, we store the GIF URL/ID with chat metadata in Firestore. Media is not cached locally; the client loads it from the source (or via signed URLs for HSIncubator-hosted media).
• Filtering. GIF results are restricted to G and PG classifications, with additional moderation by AI and staff.
• Third-party policies. Giphy may process data under its own privacy policy and terms. HSIncubator does not control Giphy’s independent processing.

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate and improve the Service. Categories include:

• Essential (required for login, security, and core functionality)
• Analytics (e.g., Google Analytics) to understand usage and improve the user experience

In regions where consent is required (e.g., EU/UK), we honor your cookie choices via a banner or settings. You can also manage cookies directly in your browser.

• Accuracy. AI responses may be inaccurate or incomplete; verify before relying on them.
• Reporting. Report problematic AI outputs toadmin@hsincubator.in.
• Chat history. We do not keep global AI logs. For PDF study sessions, we retain chat history only to maintain continuity for that specific PDF. The history is deleted automatically when the corresponding PDF is deleted.

HSIncubator is designed for students aged 13 and above. Users under 18 may access the Service independently, and we maintain a child-safe environment through strict moderation.

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If we learn that data has been collected without verifiable parental consent, we will delete it promptly and disable the associated account.

• Account deletion. When you delete your account via settings, all associated user data is deleted immediately and cannot be restored.
• Service logs. Limited technical logs may be retained temporarily for security, troubleshooting, and abuse prevention. They are deleted within a reasonable period.
• Backups. Where backups exist, data is overwritten on the next scheduled cycle.

• Infrastructure. We rely on trusted cloud providers (Vercel, Google Cloud/Firebase, Cloudflare) with robust security programs.
• Access controls. Administrative access is limited to the founders and protected by multi-factor authentication.
• Encryption. Data in transit is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS, and stored files inherit encryption-at-rest from our providers.
• Incident response. We monitor for abuse/spam, act on reports promptly, and notify affected users of material incidents as required by law.

HSIncubator operates globally. Personal data may be processed in or transferred to countries outside your home jurisdiction, including India, the EU, the UK, and the United States.

Where required, we use appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or equivalent transfer mechanisms.

Depending on your location, you may have the rights listed below. To exercise any right, emailadmin@hsincubator.in.

• Access & portability. Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction. Ask us to update inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion. Delete your account or request deletion of specific data where retention is not legally required.
• Restriction. Ask us to limit processing in specific circumstances.
• Objection. Object to processing based on legitimate interests and to any direct marketing.
• Consent withdrawal. Withdraw consent for optional features (e.g., marketing emails, analytics cookies) without affecting prior lawful processing.
• Complaints. Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have processed data unlawfully.

We respond to verified requests within applicable legal timeframes and may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.

For California residents, HSIncubator is classified as a “service provider.” We do not sell or share personal information as defined by the CCPA/CPRA.

• Categories collected. Identifiers, account information, activity data, communications, and content as described throughout this policy.
• Purposes. Providing the Service, ensuring security, enabling analytics, and meeting legal obligations.
• Rights. Request access, deletion, or correction; opt out of marketing emails; and appoint an authorized agent to submit requests on your behalf.

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect new practices, legal requirements, or product changes. When updates are material, we will provide reasonable notice (e.g., email or in-app message). Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

Questions or concerns? Emailadmin@hsincubator.in. We aim to respond within a few business days.