Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 1 October 2026
Last Updated: 1 October 2026

Your privacy is important to us at the School of General Studies. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, and share your personal information when you use our websites (schoolofgeneralstudies.com, our AppX student portal schoolofgeneralstudies.akamai.net.in and our Android app), our communication channels (including WhatsApp and Telegram), and all associated services (collectively, the "Platform"). This policy is designed to comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the DPDP Rules, 2025 (collectively, the DPDP framework) and other applicable Indian laws.

Where we rely on your consent, we ask for it through a clear action of yours, for example ticking the consent box on our contact form or agreeing when you sign up on the student portal. When you download a free resource, the download form is pre-set to send you mentoring tips and session updates on WhatsApp: you can untick that box before downloading, and you can withdraw consent at any time by replying STOP to any WhatsApp message we send, or by contacting us.

Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information to provide and improve our services:

1. Personal Information: When you register for an account, enroll in a course, contact us via WhatsApp or email, download a free resource from our Downloads page, or join our Telegram community, we may collect:
   • Full Name
   • Email Address
   • Phone Number (including WhatsApp number)
   • Payment Information (processed securely by third-party payment gateways — we do not store your card details)
   • Address and other contact details
2. Student Performance Data: To deliver personalized mentorship, we collect data related to your academic progress, including:
   • Course completion status
   • Scores on quizzes, mock tests, and MCQ test series
   • Mentor feedback on your performance and answer writing
   • Leaderboard rankings based on test scores (you may opt out of public leaderboard display by contacting us)
   • Class attendance and participation
3. Usage Data: We automatically collect technical information when you access the Platform, including:
   • IP address
   • Browser type and version
   • Pages visited and time spent on each page
   • Unique device identifiers
   • Referring URLs and other diagnostic data
4. Communication Data: When you contact us via WhatsApp, Telegram, email, or phone, we may retain records of those communications for service improvement, follow-up, and — with your explicit consent — promotional communications.

How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

1. To Provide and Maintain Services: Operating the Platform, enrolling you in courses, providing access to study materials, test series, and mentorship sessions.
2. To Offer Personalized Mentorship: Using your performance data to create tailored study plans, provide customized feedback, and track your progress.
3. To Display Leaderboard Rankings: Your mock test results may be used to create leaderboards that acknowledge top performers and motivate the community. You may request to appear anonymously or opt out entirely by contacting us at school.generalstudies@gmail.com.
4. To Process Payments: Processing course fees securely through our third-party payment gateways.
5. To Communicate with You: Sending course updates, important announcements, and — with your consent — promotional offers via email, WhatsApp, or Telegram. You may opt out of promotional communications at any time.
6. To Improve the Platform: Analyzing usage data to understand how the Platform is used and to enhance the user experience.
7. For Security and Legal Compliance: Protecting the Platform from fraud and unauthorized access, and complying with applicable Indian laws including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

AI-Assisted Data Processing

We may use artificial intelligence tools to analyse your performance data (test scores, answer submissions) to generate personalised study recommendations and mentorship plans. This AI-assisted analysis uses your data only for the educational purposes described in this policy and is reviewed by our team. No automated decisions with legal or significant effects are made solely by AI without human review.

Consent Notice (as required by DPDP Rules, 2025)

The following table describes the purposes for which we process your personal data, the categories of data collected, and the retention period for each purpose.

You may withdraw consent for any specific purpose by contacting us. Withdrawing consent for a specific purpose will not affect other purposes for which consent remains valid.

Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

To withdraw consent for a specific purpose, email school.generalstudies@gmail.com with the subject line "Withdraw Consent — [Purpose]" specifying which processing purpose you wish to withdraw consent for.

How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

1. With Service Providers: We may share data with trusted third-party providers who perform services on our behalf — including payment gateways (PhonePe for payments made directly to SGS; Razorpay through AppX for course purchases), analytics services (Google Analytics, once enabled), communication tools (WhatsApp, Telegram), AppX (course platform; see "Third-Party Platform (AppX)" below), Formspree (contact form submissions), Google Sheets (free-download lead records), Vercel (website hosting), and other infrastructure providers necessary for Platform operation. These providers may use your information only to provide their service to us; AppX also applies its own privacy policy.
2. For Legal Compliance: We may disclose your information if required by Indian law, a court order, or a government inquiry, in accordance with the DPDP Act, 2023.
3. With Your Consent: We may share information for purposes not covered above only with your explicit consent.

Third-Party Platform (AppX)

School of General Studies has partnered with AppX, a third-party technology platform, to deliver its educational services. SGS is the seller of every course, and invoices are issued in the name of School of General Studies. Course purchases, course payments, student accounts and course access are handled on AppX, through our student portal schoolofgeneralstudies.akamai.net.in and our Android app on Google Play (published by Live Learn Solutions). When you buy or use a course there:

1. Your data: AppX handles the details needed to run your account and deliver your course, such as your name, phone number, email address, purchases and course progress. SGS is responsible, as Data Fiduciary, for the personal data we receive about you. AppX also collects and uses data under its own privacy policy, which says it may collect further details (for example your device's contact list, gender, date of birth and profile photo), keep test attempts and chats for 2 years, and share data with its affiliates, including outside India. Please read AppX's privacy policy before you sign up.
2. Payments: course payments are collected on AppX and processed by its payment partner (Razorpay). Payments made directly to SGS are processed through PhonePe. SGS does not receive or store your card or bank details.
3. Refunds: AppX does not refund students. Every refund, for a course bought on AppX or paid directly to SGS, is decided and paid by SGS under our Refund and Cancellation Policy.
4. AppX's own policies apply to your use of the AppX platform itself: Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions · Refund Policy.
5. Support: for any question or complaint about a purchase, a payment or your AppX account, contact us first (details below). We coordinate with AppX on your behalf.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, or as required by applicable Indian law. Specifically:

• Account and enrollment data: Retained for the duration of your active account plus 3 years after your last activity, to allow for account reactivation and to meet record-keeping requirements.
• Payment and financial records: Retained for a minimum of 8 years from the end of the relevant financial year, as required under the Income Tax Act, 1961 and GST regulations.
• Communication records (WhatsApp, email, Telegram): Retained for up to 2 years from the date of communication.
• Usage and analytics data: Retained in anonymized or aggregated form and may be kept indefinitely for platform improvement purposes.

Upon expiry of the retention period, or upon a valid deletion request from you, your personal data will be securely deleted or anonymized.

Where practical, before erasing your account data at the end of the retention period, we will tell you in advance on your registered email or phone number, so you can keep your account active or ask for a copy of your data.

Data Security

We have implemented reasonable physical, technical, and administrative security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure. Our security measures include: encryption of data in transit and at rest, access controls limiting personal data access to authorised personnel only, regular security reviews, data backup mechanisms, contractual obligations for all data processors, and retention of security logs for a minimum of one year.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we take all reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

In the event of a personal data breach, we will inform affected individuals and the Data Protection Board of India without delay, and give the Board a detailed report within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach, in accordance with the DPDP Rules, 2025. We will tell you what happened, which of your data was affected, and what we and you can do about it.

We maintain logs of all personal data processing activities for a minimum of one year, as required by the DPDP Rules, 2025.

Your Rights Under the DPDP Act, 2023

As a data principal under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the following rights:

1. Right to Access: You may request confirmation of whether we process your personal data, and obtain a summary of such data.
2. Right to Correction: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
3. Right to Erasure: You may request deletion of your personal data, subject to any legal obligations that require us to retain certain records. To request erasure of your personal data, email school.generalstudies@gmail.com with the subject line "Data Deletion Request" or message us on WhatsApp at +91-76782-72484. We will process your request within 90 days, subject to any legal retention obligations described in this policy.
4. Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw consent by: (a) emailing school.generalstudies@gmail.com with the subject line "Withdraw Consent", (b) messaging us on WhatsApp at +91-76782-72484, or (c) using the consent management settings in your portal account (when available). We will process your withdrawal within 90 days. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.
5. Right to Nominate: You may nominate another person to exercise these rights on your behalf in the event of your death or incapacity, by writing to us.
6. Right to Grievance Redressal: If you have a complaint about how we handle your data, you may contact us directly. If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India.

We will respond to your data access, correction, or erasure request within 90 days of receiving it, as required by the DPDP Rules, 2025.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at school.generalstudies@gmail.com or WhatsApp +91-76782-72484.

Cookies

Our Platform uses cookies — small files stored on your device — to remember your preferences, track usage patterns, and provide a personalized experience. You may configure your browser to refuse cookies, but some features of the Platform may not function properly without them.

Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for individuals aged 18 years or older. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If we become aware that we have collected data from a minor without verifiable parental consent, we will promptly delete that information.

Cross-Border Data Processing

Some of our service providers process data outside India, for example Formspree (contact form), Vercel (website hosting) and communication tools. AppX states in its privacy policy that it may share data with its affiliates, including outside India. Such transfers take place only as permitted under the DPDP Act, 2023.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Platform after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or wish to exercise your data rights, contact us:

Email: school.generalstudies@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +91-76782-72484

Seller and Data Fiduciary: School of General Studies, a sole proprietorship owned by Jaswinder Singh
GST: not registered (turnover is below the GST registration threshold)
Registered Address: Vaishali Apartments, Bodhella Phase II, Vikaspuri, New Delhi - 110018

Grievance Officer

Name: Jaswinder Singh, Founder
Email: school.generalstudies@gmail.com
Phone: +91-76782-72484
Response time: we acknowledge a complaint within 48 hours and resolve it within one month. Requests about your personal data (access, correction, erasure, withdrawal of consent) are answered within 90 days at the latest.