OpenMajors Privacy Policy

I. Introduction

OpenMajors ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website and use our services, including the Agora community forum, user accounts, and review submissions. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal data.

II. Information We Collect

We collect information about you in a variety of ways:

A. Account Registration Data

When you create an account, we collect:

• Email address (required)
• First and last name
• Username
• Date of birth
• User type (college student, graduate, high school student, or other)
• Academic information: major, school/university, year/graduation year
• For high school students: grade level and interested majors
• Profile photo/avatar (if provided via Google sign-in or uploaded)
• Authentication provider information (email/password or Google)

B. User-Generated Content

• Major reviews, ratings, and review verification emails
• Agora posts, comments, and poll responses
• Votes (upvotes/downvotes) on posts and comments
• Tags applied to content
• Reports submitted about content or users

C. Social and Activity Data

• Follow relationships (users and topics you follow, and users who follow you)
• Notification preferences and history
• Consent records (Terms of Service acceptance, marketing opt-in/out)

D. Automatically Collected Data

• IP address, browser type, device information, and operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation patterns
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies

III. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and maintain our website, user accounts, and community features
• Display your public profile information (display name, username, school, major, avatar) alongside your content
• Verify the authenticity of reviews when email verification is chosen
• Send transactional emails: account verification, password resets, security alerts, and moderation notices
• Send notification emails about activity on your content (e.g., replies, upvotes, new followers), based on your preferences
• Send marketing communications about new features and community updates, only if you have opted in
• Improve, personalize, and expand our website and services
• Understand and analyze how you use our website
• Enforce rate limits and prevent abuse, spam, and fraud
• Moderate content and enforce community guidelines
• Comply with legal obligations

IV. What Is Publicly Visible

The following information is publicly visible to all users (including non-registered visitors):

• Your display name and username
• Your school, major, and user type
• Your profile avatar/photo
• Your posts, comments, and poll responses
• Your follower and following counts
• Your verification status

The following information is never publicly displayed:

• Your email address
• Your date of birth
• Your IP address
• Your notification preferences
• Your vote history (which specific posts you voted on)

V. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• Public Content: Reviews, posts, comments, and profile information you submit are made publicly available on our platform.
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government request.
• Safety and Security: To protect the rights, property, or safety of OpenMajors, our users, or others.
• Service Providers: With trusted third-party service providers who assist in operating our website (e.g., Firebase for authentication, cloud hosting). These providers are contractually bound to protect your data.

Important: Your email address is never shared publicly, sold to third parties, or used for marketing purposes unless you explicitly opt in.

VI. Communications and Your Choices

Transactional Emails

We send essential emails related to your account (verification, security, moderation). These cannot be opted out of while you maintain an account.

Notification Emails

We may send you email notifications about activity on your posts, replies, and topics you follow. You can manage these preferences at any time in your Notification Settings.

Marketing Emails

We only send marketing communications (product updates, feature announcements, community digests) if you have explicitly opted in. You may opt out at any time by:

• Clicking the "Unsubscribe" link in any marketing email
• Updating your preferences in your account settings
• Contacting us at contact@openmajors.com

VII. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide our services and fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy:

• Account data: Retained as long as your account is active. Upon account deletion, personal data is removed within 30 days.
• Content: Posts and comments may be retained in anonymized form ("Deleted User") to preserve discussion context, even after account deletion.
• Consent records: Retained for legal compliance purposes even after account deletion.
• Usage data: Aggregated analytics data may be retained indefinitely in anonymized form.

VIII. Your Rights and Controls

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: You can view your profile and account data at any time through your account settings.
• Correction: You can update your profile information at any time.
• Deletion: You can delete your own posts and comments. You can request full account deletion by contacting us at contact@openmajors.com.
• Data Portability: You may request a copy of your personal data by contacting us.
• Opt-out: You can opt out of marketing emails and manage notification preferences at any time.

IX. Security of Your Information

We use administrative, technical, and physical security measures to help protect your personal information. This includes encryption of data in transit, secure authentication through Firebase, and access controls on stored data. While we have taken reasonable steps to secure the personal information you provide to us, please be aware that despite our efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and no method of data transmission can be guaranteed against any interception or other type of misuse.

X. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We may use cookies, web beacons, tracking pixels, and other tracking technologies to collect and store information. These technologies help us understand user behavior, remember preferences, and improve our services. You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling them may affect your experience on our website.

XI. Third-Party Services

Our platform uses the following third-party services that may process your data:

• Firebase (Google): Authentication, database, and hosting
• Google Analytics: Website usage analytics
• Google reCAPTCHA: Bot and abuse prevention

Our website may also contain links to third-party websites and services that are not owned or controlled by us. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services.

XII. Children's Privacy

Our service is intended for users who are at least 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at contact@openmajors.com, and we will delete such information.

XIII. 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 data protection laws may differ. By using our service, you consent to such transfers.

XIV. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. For material changes, we may notify registered users via email or in-app notification. Your continued use of our service after any modifications indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.