Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

To provide our service, we collect the following types of information:

• Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your email address and a hashed version of your password. If you sign up with Google, we receive your name, email, and profile picture URL as provided by Google.
• User Profile Information: To power our AI matching, you can voluntarily provide us with information about yourself, such as your state, county, academic interests, GPA, and a free-text description of your background and goals. You control what you share.
• Usage Data: We collect information about how you interact with our service, such as searches performed, scholarships you save to your pipeline, and pages you visit. This helps us improve the product.
• Device and Browser Information: We collect standard technical information, including your IP address, browser type, and operating system, for analytics and security purposes.

2. How We Use Your Information

Your information is used for the following purposes:

• To provide, maintain, and improve the DeadLetter service, including our AI-powered matching and scoring.
• To personalize your search results and strategic insights.
• To send you transactional emails (like password resets) and product updates.
• To send you our weekly digest and daily intelligence briefings, if you opt into them. You can unsubscribe at any time.
• To process your premium subscription payments through our third-party payment processor (Stripe).

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information with any third parties for marketing purposes. We do not share your individual user profile with scholarship-awarding organizations.

3. Data Storage & Security

We take the security of your data seriously. Your information is stored securely on Firebase (Google Cloud Platform). We use industry-standard encryption (SSL/TLS) for data in transit and encryption at rest for data stored in our databases. Payment processing is handled by Stripe, a certified PCI Service Provider Level 1. We do not store your credit card details on our servers.

4. Email Communications

We aim to send you only useful emails. You have full control over your email preferences. All marketing and optional emails include a clear unsubscribe link in the footer. Transactional emails necessary for the functioning of your account (e.g., password resets) cannot be opted out of.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use essential cookies to maintain your login session and remember your preferences. We also use analytics tools (like Google Analytics) to gather aggregated, anonymous data about how our platform is used. We do not use third-party tracking cookies for advertising purposes.

6. Your Data Rights

You have the right to control your personal information. You can:

• Request a copy of all the data we have associated with your account.
• Request the deletion of your account and all associated data.
• Update or correct your personal information at any time through your account settings.

To make a data request, please contact us at privacy@deadletter.app.

7. Children's Privacy

DeadLetter is intended for users aged 13 and older, as this is the general minimum age for most online services and aligns with the age of individuals applying for scholarships. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If we become aware that we have collected such information, we will take steps to delete it immediately.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you via email or through an in-app notification before the changes take effect.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please don't hesitate to contact us at privacy@deadletter.app.