Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 26, 2023

Welcome to stuv.pro. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with transparency and care. This Privacy Policy explains how stuv.pro ("we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your information when you use our website, platform, and related services (collectively, the "Services").

By accessing or using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our Services.

1. Information We Collect

We collect several types of information to provide and improve our Services to you.

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, password, and any other details you choose to provide (e.g., university, field of study).
• Profile Information: Information you add to your profile, such as a biography, profile picture, skills, or academic interests.
• User Content: Content you generate, upload, or share on the platform, including study materials, notes, comments, messages, and forum posts.
• Communication Data: When you contact us via email or our support system, we collect the content of your messages and our responses.
• Payment Information: If you make purchases through our Services, our third-party payment processors collect financial information (e.g., credit card details). We do not store full payment card information on our servers.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: Information about your interaction with our Services, including pages visited, time spent, features used, clicks, and search queries.
• Device and Log Data: Your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, and other diagnostic data.
• Location Data: General location information derived from your IP address or device settings (if permissions are granted).

1.3 Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party services, such as if you choose to log in via a social media account (e.g., Google, Facebook) or from analytics providers.

2. Use of Information

We use the collected information for the following legitimate business purposes:

• To Provide and Maintain Our Services: To create and manage your account, facilitate your access, and deliver the core functionalities of our platform.
• To Improve and Personalize: To understand how our Services are used, develop new features, and personalize your experience, including recommending relevant study materials or connections.
• To Communicate with You: To send you service-related announcements (e.g., account verification, policy changes), respond to your inquiries, and provide customer support.
• For Security and Protection: To monitor and analyze usage to detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, or unauthorized activities.
• For Legal and Compliance: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes, or enforceable governmental requests.
• For Marketing and Promotions: With your consent where required, to send you promotional communications about features, offers, and events. You can opt-out at any time.

3. Data Protection and Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures designed to protect the security of your personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure.

• Security Measures: We use encryption (SSL/TLS), access controls, secure servers, and regular security assessments to protect your data.
• Data Retention: We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
• Third-Party Sharing: We do not sell your personal information. We may share data with trusted third-party service providers (e.g., hosting, analytics, payment processing) who assist our operations under strict contractual data protection obligations. We may also disclose information if required by law or to protect our rights and safety.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our Services and hold certain information.

• What Are Cookies: Cookies are small data files placed on your device. They help us remember your preferences, understand how you use our site, and improve your experience.
• Types We Use:
  • Essential Cookies: Necessary for the website to function (e.g., login sessions).
  • Performance/Analytics Cookies: Help us understand user behavior (e.g., Google Analytics).
  • Functionality Cookies: Remember your preferences (e.g., language, region).
  • Advertising Cookies: Used to deliver relevant ads (you can opt-out).
• Your Control: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, blocking essential cookies may affect the functionality of our Services.

5. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These may include:

• Access and Portability: The right to request access to and a copy of your personal data.
• Correction: The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Deletion: The right to request deletion of your personal data under certain conditions.
• Restriction and Objection: The right to restrict or object to our processing of your data.
• Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, the right to withdraw consent at any time.
• Opt-out of Marketing: You can unsubscribe from promotional emails by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any such email.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in the Contact Us section below. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable laws. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

6. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where the data