This Privacy Policy explains how WizNova™ ("WizNova", "we", "us", "our"), operated by Pradeep Nagar, collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when you use the WizNova™ JEE Forum ("Forum") at wiznova.in/jee-forum.

This Policy is governed by the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act") and the Information Technology Act, 2000, and is consistent with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

When you read the Forum (no login required):

• IP address and approximate geographic location (country/state level)
• Browser type, operating system, and device type
• Pages visited and time spent (aggregated, not linked to identity)
• Referring URL

When you sign in with Google:

• Google account ID (internal identifier only)
• Display name as set in your Google account
• Profile picture URL from your Google account
• Email address (stored securely; not displayed publicly)

When you participate in the Forum:

• Posts and comments you write
• Images you upload (stored on our servers)
• Votes and helpful-marks you give
• Reports you submit
• Timestamps of all actions

What we do NOT collect for the public Forum:

• Aadhaar number or any government-issued ID
• APAAR ID
• Mobile number
• Home address
• Parent or guardian information
• Internal WizNova Education Portal data (roll number, batch, test results)

The public JEE Forum and the private WizNova Education Portal are technically and logically separate systems. Data from the Education Portal is never shared with or used on the public Forum.

We use the data we collect for the following purposes:

• To authenticate you and maintain your session
• To display your posts, comments, and profile on the Forum
• To enable moderation and enforce our Community Guidelines
• To respond to reports and grievances
• To improve the Forum's performance and user experience
• To comply with legal obligations under Indian law
• To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security threats

We do not use your data for targeted advertising. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party.

We do not share your personal data with third parties except in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: We use trusted service providers (hosting, database, email) who process data on our behalf under strict confidentiality obligations.
• Legal requirements: We will disclose data if required to do so by a court order, government authority, or applicable Indian law, including in response to lawful requests under the IT Act.
• Safety: We may disclose data to prevent imminent harm to a person or to address a serious child-safety concern.
• Business transfer: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user data may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to the same privacy protections.

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you are under 13, you must not register or post on the Forum.

For users between 13 and 18 years of age:

• A parent or legal guardian must review and agree to these Terms and this Privacy Policy on the minor's behalf.
• We collect only the minimal data necessary (Google display name, profile picture, posts).
• We do not collect mobile numbers, addresses, or any sensitive personal data from minors.
• Minors' email addresses are stored securely and never displayed publicly.
• Parents or guardians may contact us at [email protected] to request access to, correction of, or deletion of their child's data.

If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Forum services. Specifically:

• Account data (Google ID, display name, email): retained while your account is active and for up to 3 years after last activity.
• Posts and comments: retained indefinitely unless you request deletion or we remove them under our Moderation Policy.
• Uploaded images: retained while the associated post or comment exists.
• Moderation logs: retained for up to 3 years for accountability purposes.
• Server logs (IP, access logs): retained for up to 90 days.

You may request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us at [email protected]. We will process deletion requests within 30 days, subject to any legal retention obligations.

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include:

• HTTPS encryption for all data in transit
• Secure, access-controlled database storage
• Signed session cookies with server-side validation
• Regular security reviews

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the following rights in respect of your personal data:

• Right to access: You may request a summary of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to correction: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure: You may request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Right to grievance redressal: You may raise a complaint with our Grievance Officer (see our Grievance Policy).
• Right to nominate: You may nominate another person to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Grievance Officer at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

The Forum uses a single signed session cookie (jee_forum_session) to maintain your login state. This cookie:

• Is set only when you sign in with Google
• Is HTTP-only and Secure (not accessible to JavaScript)
• Expires when you close your browser or after 7 days of inactivity
• Contains no personal data — only a signed session identifier

We do not use third-party advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or cross-site tracking technologies on the Forum.

For any privacy-related queries, requests, or complaints, contact our Grievance Officer:

Name: Pradeep Nagar
Email: [email protected]
Address: WizNova™, Pune, Maharashtra, India

We will acknowledge your request within 48 hours and resolve it within 30 days. For unresolved complaints, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India once it is constituted under the DPDP Act.