This Privacy Policy explains what information StudyForge ("we," "us," or "the app") collects, how we use it, and the choices you have. By using StudyForge, you agree to the practices described here.
Information we collect
We collect the following to run the service:
- Account information. When you sign up we store your email address and a securely hashed version of your password. We never store your password in plain text.
- Study content you upload. Files, pasted text, and web or video links you submit are processed to generate your study materials and are stored so you can return to them. You can delete your study sets at any time.
- Usage information. Basic technical data such as your plan, how many AI videos you have generated in the current billing period, and general activity needed to operate the app.
How we use your information
- To create the study materials you request (summaries, flashcards, quizzes, tests, audio, and video).
- To provide your account, save your library, and track your usage and subscription.
- To process payments through our payment provider and to show or remove advertisements based on your plan.
- To maintain the security and reliability of the service.
Third-party services
We rely on trusted third parties to operate StudyForge. These include our hosting provider, our AI content providers (used to generate study materials from your input), our payment processor (used to handle subscriptions securely — we never see or store your full card details), and our advertising partner described below.
Advertising and cookies
StudyForge is free to use with advertisements. Paid subscribers do not see ads.
- We use Google AdSense to display advertising to free-tier users.
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to StudyForge and other websites.
- Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the Internet.
- You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising at www.aboutads.info.
- We store a small amount of information in your browser (local storage) to keep you signed in and to remember display preferences.
Meta Pixel (measuring our ads)
When we run ads on Facebook or Instagram, we may use the Meta Pixel on StudyForge. It tells us, in aggregate, which ads led people to visit or sign up, so we don't waste money on ads that don't work.
- The Pixel may set cookies and share limited event information with Meta — for example that a page was viewed, an account was created, or a subscription was started. We never send Meta your notes, study sets, quiz answers, or study activity.
- Meta may use this information to measure and target advertising, as described in Meta's Privacy Policy.
- You can control how Meta uses your data in your Meta Ad Preferences, and you can block these cookies with your browser settings or an ad blocker.
- The Pixel only loads when advertising measurement is switched on; if it isn't configured, no tracking code is served at all.
Data retention
We keep your account and study content for as long as your account is active. If you delete a study set it is removed from your library. You may request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us at the email below.
How we protect your information
We take the security of your account seriously and apply the following safeguards:
- Passwords are never stored. We store only a one-way cryptographic hash (PBKDF2-SHA256). Nobody at StudyForge — including us — can read your password.
- Encryption in transit. All traffic to and from StudyForge uses HTTPS/TLS.
- Brute-force protection. Repeated failed sign-in attempts are rate limited and temporarily blocked, both per account and per network address, to prevent automated password guessing.
- Secrets stay server-side. API keys and payment credentials live only in server environment configuration. They are never sent to your browser or included in our source code.
- Payment card data never touches our servers. Card details are entered directly with Stripe, our payment processor. We store only a customer reference.
- Least-necessary access. Study sets and account data are readable only by the account that created them, enforced on the server for every request.
No system can promise perfect security, and we will not claim otherwise. We commit to the practices above and to telling you promptly if something goes wrong.
Data breach notification
If we discover a breach of security that has led to accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, or unauthorized disclosure of your personal information, we will:
- Investigate and contain the incident immediately upon discovery.
- Notify affected users by email without undue delay, and in any case within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms.
- Tell you plainly what happened, what information was involved, what we have done about it, and what you should do (for example, changing your password or any password reused elsewhere).
- Notify the relevant supervisory authority where the law requires it.
We will not quietly absorb an incident that affects you. If your data is involved, you will hear it from us.
Your rights over your data
Wherever you live, you can ask us to:
- Access — get a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct — fix anything inaccurate.
- Delete — erase your account and associated study content.
- Export — receive your study sets in a portable, machine-readable format.
- Object or restrict — limit how we process your information, including opting out of personalized advertising.
Email hellostudyforge@gmail.com from your account's email address and we will respond within 30 days. Exercising these rights is free and will never result in worse service.
If you are in the EEA or UK, the GDPR applies to you and you may also complain to your local data protection authority. If you are a California resident, the CCPA/CPRA applies: we do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising beyond the advertising partners named above, whose opt-outs are linked in that section.
Children's privacy
StudyForge is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.
Your choices
- Upgrade to a paid plan to remove advertising entirely.
- Opt out of personalized ads using the links above.
- Delete your study sets, or request full account deletion, at any time.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of StudyForge after changes means you accept the updated policy.
Contact us
Questions about this policy or your data? Email hellostudyforge@gmail.com.