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Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 27, 2026

Plain-language summary: Shrutam is free for every student. We collect the minimum data needed to make the site work and to remember your progress. We never sell student data. We never show ads. We comply with COPPA, FERPA, and every major state student-privacy law (CA SOPIPA, NY Ed Law 2-d, IL SOPPA).

What we collect

Without an account

  • An anonymous visitor cookie (random ID) to count your free lessons (5 free, then login required)
  • Standard server logs (IP address, browser, page viewed) for security and analytics, retained 30 days
  • Aggregate, non-identifying analytics (which lessons are popular)

With an account

  • Email address (or Google account email if you sign in with Google)
  • Display name (you choose; can be a pseudonym)
  • Optional: grade level, state — used only to personalize content suggestions
  • Your progress: which lessons you've viewed, MCQ scores, bookmarks

What we DO NOT collect

  • Real name, address, phone number, school name, or birthdate (unless you volunteer them)
  • Photos, biometrics, location precise to street level
  • Anything from third-party trackers — we do not run Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any ad networks

Children Under 13 (COPPA)

The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) regulates online services that collect personal information from children under 13. We comply with COPPA in the following ways:

  • Free anonymous browsing of all content does not require any account or personal info — children under 13 can use the site without sharing anything
  • If a child under 13 wants an account, we require verifiable parental consent before creating one
  • We never use student data for marketing, profiling, or behavioral advertising
  • Parents can email [email protected] at any time to review, delete, or stop further collection of their child's data

See our dedicated Children's Privacy Notice for details.

Schools, Teachers & FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects student education records. If your school or district uses Shrutam in instruction:

  • Shrutam treats progress data as a school official with a legitimate educational interest
  • We will not share student data with third parties except as legally required
  • Schools and parents can request access to, correction of, or deletion of student data via [email protected]

State Student Privacy Laws

Shrutam complies with state-level student data privacy laws including:

  • California: Student Online Personal Information Protection Act (SOPIPA), CalOPPA, CCPA/CPRA
  • New York: Education Law §2-d
  • Illinois: Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA)
  • Connecticut: An Act Concerning Student Data Privacy
  • Colorado: Student Data Transparency and Security Act
  • Plus all comparable laws in TX, FL, MI, VA, MA, NJ, WA, GA, MD, MN

How we use the data we collect

  • Make the website work (deliver lessons, save your progress)
  • Send you account-related emails (login links, account changes — never marketing)
  • Improve the site (which lessons need work, which features get used)
  • Comply with law (respond to legal process, prevent abuse)

We never: sell your data, share it with advertisers, build advertising profiles, use it to train commercial AI models, or transfer it to entities outside of running shrutam.com.

How we store and protect your data

  • Hosted on US-based servers (Hostinger US, AWS us-east where applicable)
  • Database access restricted to authenticated team members
  • Passwords hashed with bcrypt (we recommend Google sign-in to avoid password storage)
  • HTTPS everywhere — TLS 1.3
  • Account data deleted within 30 days of account deletion request

Your rights

You can, at any time:

  • Access the data we hold about you (email [email protected])
  • Correct inaccurate data
  • Delete your account and all associated data
  • Export your progress data in a portable format
  • Opt out of any optional data collection

California residents have additional rights under CCPA/CPRA. Contact us for details.

Cookies

We use only essential cookies (login session, free-page counter, accessibility preferences). No advertising cookies, no third-party trackers. See our Cookie Policy.

Changes to this policy

We will notify users of material changes via the email on file (if you have an account) and post a notice on the homepage. Effective date is shown at the top of this document.

Contact

Privacy questions / data requests: [email protected]

Accessibility questions: [email protected]