This privacy policy describes what data the UnderStand UPSC Prelims Marks Predictor (scorepredictor.understandupsc.com, hereafter "the Service") collects, why, how it's stored, and your rights. The Service is operated by UnderStand UPSC (a brand of Upclass.ai). This policy is governed by India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act).

1. What data we collect

Mobile number — collected when you submit a prediction. Used for OTP verification (to prevent bot submissions and so you can revisit your score later).
Name — collected when you submit a prediction. Displayed on your result page.
Your prediction answers — the options you marked for each question. Used to compute and display your score.
Computed scores — GS Paper 1 marks, correct/wrong/skipped counts, per-institute breakdown. Stored to show on revisits and aggregated (anonymized) for the distribution charts shown to other students.
Standard log data — IP address, browser type, page accessed. Used for security, fraud prevention, and basic site analytics. Retained for 90 days.
Google Analytics 4 — pageviews, session duration, device type. IPs are anonymized by Google by default. Used for understanding traffic patterns.

2. What we don't collect

Email address
Date of birth or any other ID document
Payment information (the Service is free)
Precise geolocation
Contacts, photos, or anything from your device's storage

3. How we use your data

To compute and display your projected UPSC Prelims score.
To let you sign back in via mobile OTP and revisit your saved prediction.
To re-compute your score automatically when a coaching institute updates its answer key.
To compute aggregated (anonymized) distribution statistics shown on the result page — e.g., "Based on 250 verified predictions so far." Individual data is never displayed to other users.

4. Who we share data with

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with any third party for marketing purposes. The only third parties involved are:

MSG91 — SMS gateway used to send your OTP. Only your mobile number and a one-time code is shared.
Google Analytics (GA4) — for site analytics. IP anonymized.
Hosting provider (DigitalOcean) — data is stored on servers in India.

We do not share your data with coaching institutes (other than aggregated, anonymized counts).

5. Your rights under DPDP Act

You have the right to:

Access your stored data
Request correction or deletion of your data
Withdraw consent (which deletes your saved prediction)
File a grievance with the Data Protection Board of India

To exercise any of these, contact us via understandupsc.com. We respond within 7 working days.

6. Data retention

Prediction data is retained for up to 2 years after the related UPSC Prelims cycle, so you can revisit your score during your Mains preparation if you clear Prelims. After that, the data is deleted from our active database (anonymized aggregates may remain in archived logs).

7. Security

Data is stored in a PostgreSQL database on a private network, accessible only via SSH key authentication. Traffic to the Service is encrypted over HTTPS (Let's Encrypt). Passwords for any admin access use industry-standard hashing.

8. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top and, where appropriate, notify you on the Service's homepage. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance.

9. Contact

For any privacy-related question: understandupsc.com.

Privacy Policy