Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Hack Admission. This Privacy Policy applies to our website, mobile apps, and IELTS, SAT, and Study Abroad products, including AI review, study plans, applicant profiles, applications, community features, marketplace services, and the conditional Premium refund program. It explains what we collect, why we use it, who may receive it, and how we protect it.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information directly from you when you register, sign in, complete your profile, take diagnostics or mock tests, submit learning content, upload files or recordings, use AI features, contact support, or make a purchase. We also collect technical and usage information automatically from your device and browser, and receive limited information from sign-in, payment, hosting, and communication providers when needed to provide the service and review refund claims.

• Account details: email address, username, password, optional country, and profile information
• Educational and user content: forum posts, articles, comments, messages, uploaded files, IELTS and SAT answers, essays, recordings, transcripts, AI feedback, vocabulary, study plans, and Study Abroad/Admissions content
• Progress and guarantee data: diagnostic and mock-test results, completed tasks, Roadmap and Study Plan progress, required Predictions tasks, attempt history, error analyses, AI-review markers, timestamps, checklist version, and whether you took an official IELTS or SAT before purchasing a participating Premium plan
• Service activity: marketplace service listings, orders, and communications
• Technical and device data: IP address, browser type, device information, cookies, mobile push token, and notification permission status
• Financial data: platform balance, transaction history, payment details, selected Premium plan, and information needed to process a refund (processed securely)
• Communication records: support tickets, platform messages, and feedback

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and maintain platform services (IELTS, SAT, Study Abroad, forum, marketplace, articles, profiles, applications, and balance)
• Generate diagnostics, study plans, mock tests, AI review of submitted errors, and progress history
• Process payments and maintain transaction records
• Communicate with you about your account and services
• Ensure platform security and prevent fraud
• Resolve disputes, guarantee refund claims, and provide customer support
• Check guarantee eligibility, including personal account use, no official exam before purchase, completion of required mock tests, and integrity of activity logs
• Improve our services and user experience using aggregated or de-identified information where practical
• Comply with legal obligations
• Send important updates and notifications

4. AI Processing, Providers, and Your Permission

Hack Admission uses third-party AI services only to provide an AI feature that you choose to use. Before the mobile app sends personal or user-provided content to an AI provider for the first time, it presents a separate consent screen. The consent screen identifies the providers, explains the data involved, and lets you allow or decline the transfer.

• AI provider: OpenAI, for text and vision feedback, speaking audio, and transcription.
• Data that may be sent: writing answers and essay drafts, speaking recordings and transcripts, IELTS test answers, admissions profile inputs, and messages you submit to the AI coach or other AI tools.
• Purpose: to generate the feedback, correction, report, rewrite, definition, answer, or personalized study plan that you request.
• Choice and control: AI processing is optional. Declining does not prevent account registration or access to non-AI features. You can revoke permission from Settings → Privacy, after which new AI requests remain disabled until you grant permission again.
• Training: Hack Admission does not use identifiable learning content to train public AI models. To verify a guarantee claim, we may retain minimal logs of submitted answers, AI reviews, mock tests, devices, and sign-ins; these logs are used for that purpose, security, and dispute resolution.

OpenAI acts as a service provider for the requested AI feature. We require processors that receive personal data to handle it only for the permitted service purpose and to provide privacy and security protections that are the same as or equivalent to the protections described in this Policy. AI output may be inaccurate; a trained staff member, rather than an exclusively automated system, makes the final decision on a refund claim after reviewing evidence.

5. Sharing of Information

We do not sell personal information. We share data only with processors needed to run the service, including hosting and storage, email and push delivery, payment processing, fraud prevention, and—only after the permission described above—OpenAI when you request an AI feature. To review a refund claim, we may request an official score report, receipt, and guarantee-related logs. We may also disclose information where required by law or needed to protect users and the platform.

6. Cookies

Our platform uses cookies to remember your preferences, maintain authentication, enhance security, and improve your browsing experience. This includes auth cookies for session management, security cookies for fraud prevention, and analytics cookies if applicable. You can disable cookies in your browser, but some features may not work properly.

7. Financial Information & Platform Balance

As part of marketplace and status services, we manage a platform balance system for transactions:

• Platform balance: virtual balance for platform services
• Transaction records: history of deposits, withdrawals, and service payments
• Payment and refund processing: handled through secure third-party gateways or the applicable App Store/Google Play store
• Service fees and commissions

8. Security & Data Protection

We take security seriously and implement measures to protect your information:

• Secure login systems with optional two-factor authentication
• Encrypted data transmission and storage
• Activity logs for security monitoring (login attempts, IP addresses, timestamps)
• Transaction logs for balance, Premium purchases, and refund claims
• Regular security audits and updates

Security logs help us detect suspicious activity, prevent unauthorized access, verify guarantee conditions, and maintain platform integrity. These logs are retained for as long as needed for those purposes, security, and legal compliance.

9. Account Restrictions & Violations

Accounts may be restricted or suspended for violations of our terms:

• Temporary or permanent suspension of account access
• Limitation of certain features (posting, marketplace access)
• Temporary holds on balance transactions during dispute resolution
• Account review periods for suspected violations, guarantee abuse, or other risks

Restrictions are applied to maintain community safety and service quality. If a guarantee refund is denied, we provide the material reason to the extent permitted by security and law, together with a channel for support and re-review. Funds in your balance remain subject to our terms and dispute resolution processes.

10. Data Retention

We retain different types of data for different operational and legal reasons:

• Account data: retained while the account is active. After a deletion request, access ends and the public profile is hidden immediately; deletion or irreversible anonymization is completed within 30 days.
• Forum posts, articles, profile comments, and public content: removed as part of completed account deletion unless we must retain a minimal record for safety or legal reasons.
• Transaction records: Retained for financial compliance (typically 7 years)
• Support communications: Retained for quality assurance and reference
• Security and guarantee logs: retained as needed to review claims, resolve disputes, protect the service, and comply with law; generally no longer than 5 years after a case closes unless a longer period is legally required

After deletion, only the minimum data needed for billing disputes, fraud prevention, security, accounting, backups, or legal obligations may remain. Deleting a Hack Admission account does not cancel billing managed by Apple or Google; subscriptions must be managed in the relevant store.

11. Third-Party Services

We work with trusted third-party service providers including:

• Hosting and cloud infrastructure providers
• Payment processors and gateways (Volet, card processors)
• Email, push-notification, and communication services
• OpenAI, when you choose an IELTS, SAT, or Study Abroad AI feature and grant permission
• Analytics and security monitoring tools

These providers have their own privacy policies and we ensure they meet our security standards. We do not sell or share personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.

12. Service Disclaimer

13. Your Rights

You may have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal information, withdraw consent for optional AI processing, and where provided by law object to or restrict processing. You may also request information about a refund decision and ask for review by a staff member. These rights may be limited where we must retain data for security, accounting, disputes, or legal obligations.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, data processing, or a guarantee refund claim, contact us using the support details provided on the guarantee terms page. [email protected]