Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 28, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how the BDStudents project ("BDStudents," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you use the website at https://bdstudents.org and related services (the "Service").

By using the Service, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Who Is Responsible for Your Data

BDStudents operates the Service and decides how your personal information is handled. For the purposes of the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), BDStudents acts as the "data controller" for the information described below. In this Policy, "BDStudents Operators" means BDStudents and the founders, organizers, contributors, moderators, and volunteers who operate or support the Service, together with any entity that may later operate the Service.

You can reach us about privacy at legal@bdstudents.org.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide:

  • Account details such as your name, email address, and password (passwords are stored in hashed form by our authentication system).
  • Profile information you choose to add, such as your institution, field of study, and other details.
  • Content you post, including posts, comments, club and institution information, and files or images you upload.
  • Messages you send to us, such as support requests or feedback.

Information collected automatically:

  • Technical data such as your IP address, browser type, device information, and pages visited.
  • Usage data about how you interact with the Service.
  • Cookies and similar technologies, as described in our Cookie Policy.

Information from third parties:

  • If you sign in using a third-party login provider, we receive basic account information from that provider as permitted by your settings with them.

Information about your background. BDStudents exists to connect Bangladeshi students, so by using the Service you may share information that reveals your national origin (for example, your nationality or community affiliation). Under EU/UK GDPR, this is treated as a "special category" of personal data. We process it only to provide the community features of the Service, and — where the law requires a specific condition — on the basis of your explicit consent (which you give by choosing to provide this information) and/or because you have manifestly made it public on the Service.

Other than this, we do not intentionally collect special-category information (such as data about health, religious beliefs, or political views). Please do not post such information about yourself or others.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Create and manage your account and authenticate you.
  • Provide, operate, and maintain the Service, including the directory, chapters, and clubs.
  • Display your profile and content to other users as part of the Service's normal operation.
  • Communicate with you about your account, updates, and security matters.
  • Analyze usage to understand, improve, and secure the Service.
  • Detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and violations of our policies.
  • Comply with legal obligations.

Legal bases (GDPR). Where GDPR applies, we rely on: performance of our agreement with you (to provide the Service); your consent (for example, for non-essential cookies or optional communications); our legitimate interests (such as securing and improving the Service), balanced against your rights; and compliance with legal obligations. Where we process special-category data (such as information revealing national origin), we additionally rely on your explicit consent, or on the fact that you have manifestly made the information public, as permitted under Article 9 GDPR.

4. How Your Information Is Shared

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.

We share information only as follows:

Service providers (processors). We use trusted third parties to operate the Service. They process data only on our instructions and are bound to protect it. They include:

  • Vercel — website hosting.
  • Cloudflare — infrastructure, file storage (R2), and email routing.
  • Neon — database hosting.
  • Resend — transactional email delivery.
  • PostHog — product analytics.
  • Sentry — error tracking and performance monitoring.

These providers may process certain technical and usage data, including IP addresses, as part of delivering their services.

Other users. Information in your profile and the content you post is visible to other users as part of how the Service works. Consider what you choose to make public.

Legal and safety. We may disclose information if required by law, or where we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, enforce our policies, or protect the rights, safety, or property of BDStudents, our users, or others.

Business transfers. If BDStudents is reorganized, incorporated into a new entity, merged, acquired, or transferred, in whole or in part, your information may be transferred to the successor or acquiring party as part of that transaction. We will provide notice through the Service if this happens, and your information will remain subject to a privacy policy at least as protective as this one, or you will be asked for fresh consent where required by law.

New uses. If we later wish to use your personal information for a materially new purpose not described here — for example, marketing a future paid product or sharing data with a separate commercial partner — we will notify you and, where the law requires it, obtain your consent before doing so.

5. International Data Transfers

The Service is operated from the United States and uses providers that may process data in the United States and other countries. If you are located in the European Union, United Kingdom, or elsewhere, your information may be transferred to and processed in countries whose data-protection laws differ from yours. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses, for these transfers.

6. Data Retention

We keep your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. After you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your personal information within a reasonable period, except where we must retain certain data to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements. Content you shared that others have saved or that is part of shared spaces may persist as described in our Terms.

7. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correct inaccurate information.
  • Delete your information.
  • Restrict or object to certain processing.
  • Receive a copy of your data in a portable format.
  • Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent.

For users in the EU and UK, these rights are provided under GDPR, and you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at legal@bdstudents.org. You can also edit or delete much of your profile information directly within the Service. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law.

8. Children and Younger Users

The Service is intended for users 16 years and older who are enrolled in or preparing for college or university-level study. It is not directed to children under 16 or to younger high-school students, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information.

If you are between 16 and the age of legal majority where you live, you should use the Service only with the permission of a parent or guardian.

If you believe a user under 16 has provided us with personal information, contact us at legal@bdstudents.org and we will delete it. A parent or guardian may also contact us to review or delete a minor's information.

9. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including encryption in transit and access controls. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping your account credentials confidential.

10. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, security, and analytics. You can control non-essential cookies through the consent options we provide. See our Cookie Policy for details.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the Service or by email before they take effect. The "Last updated" date above shows when this policy was last revised.

12. Contact

For any questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, contact us at legal@bdstudents.org.