1. Introduction
PsychePedia ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your personal data when you use our educational psychology platform. By using PsychePedia, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
a) Account Information
When you create an account, we collect:
- Email address (used for account verification and authentication)
- Username (publicly visible, 2-20 characters)
- Full name (displayed on your profile)
- Password (stored in hashed format; we never store plaintext passwords)
- Account creation date and last login timestamp
b) Profile Information
You may optionally provide:
- Profile picture and cover image (uploaded to our secure storage)
- Profession or role description
- Verification request details (reason and credentials, if you apply for a verified badge)
c) User-Generated Content
When you participate in the community, we store:
- Posts (reflections, questions, highlights) and their associated article references
- Comments and replies on community posts
- Reactions (likes, reposts) and reports you submit
d) Experiment & Assessment Results
When you complete interactive experiments (such as ADHD Rating, Big Five Personality, GAD-7, PHQ-9, IQ Test, MMSE, Stroop, Finger Tapping, Motion Detection, Depth Perception, or Autism Spectrum assessments), your responses and results are processed in real time within your browser. We do not transmit experiment results to any server. All results remain entirely in your browser session and are not stored persistently unless you choose to download them.
e) User Preferences
- Theme selection (light, warm, dark, midnight)
- Language preference (English or Arabic)
- Font size preference (small, medium, large, extra large)
- Reading position bookmarks for articles
3. How Your Data Is Stored
PsychePedia uses a combination of server-side and client-side storage:
- Account information (email, username, name, password, profile data) and community content (posts, comments, reactions) are stored in a secure server-side database hosted on Supabase.
- User preferences (theme, font size, reading position) may be stored locally in your browser's localStorage for performance and offline access.
- Locally stored data will be lost if you clear your browser data, use a different browser, or use a different device.
- We implement industry-standard security measures to protect the data stored on our servers, including encryption at rest and in transit.
4. Analytics & Error Monitoring
Vercel Analytics
We use Vercel to host and deploy our application:
- Vercel may collect basic usage metrics as part of their hosting service.
- This data does not include any personally identifiable information (PII).
- We use this data solely to improve the Platform's performance and user experience.
5. How We Use Your Information
- To provide and operate the Platform's features (authentication, community, experiments).
- To verify your identity and manage your account (email verification, login, password management).
- To display your public profile information to other users in the community.
- To moderate community content and enforce our Terms of Service (processing reports, filtering prohibited content).
- To improve the Platform.
- To process account verification requests submitted by users seeking a verified badge.
6. Data Sharing & Third Parties
We are committed to keeping your data private. We do NOT sell, rent, or trade your personal information with third parties. Data is shared only in the following limited circumstances:
- Vercel (hosting): Provides server infrastructure. Vercel's privacy policy governs their handling of any data.
- Legal compliance: We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
- Supabase (database): Provides database hosting services. Supabase's privacy policy governs their handling of any data.
7. Your Rights & Controls
You have the following rights regarding your data on PsychePedia:
- Access: You can view all your personal information in your account settings and profile page at any time.
- Correction: You can update your username, name, profession, profile picture, and cover image at any time through your account settings.
- Deletion: You can delete your account through the account settings. A 30-day grace period allows you to cancel the deletion. After 30 days, all data is permanently deleted from our servers.
- Data Portability: You may request a copy of your server-stored data by contacting us.
- Content Removal: You can delete your own posts and comments at any time through the community interface.
- Preferences: You can change your theme, language, and font size at any time.
8. Data Retention
We retain your data according to the following policies:
- Your account and community data is stored on our servers for as long as your account is active.
- When you request account deletion, your data is retained for a 30-day grace period. After this period, all data associated with your account is permanently deleted from our servers.
- Locally stored data (preferences) persists in your browser until you clear your browser data.
- Analytics data retained by our hosting provider is governed by their data retention policies.
9. Children's Privacy
PsychePedia is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided personal information to PsychePedia, please contact us. If we discover that we have collected information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete that information.
10. Security Measures
We take reasonable measures to protect your data. Passwords are hashed before storage. All communication with the Platform is encrypted via HTTPS. Our database is hosted on Supabase with industry-standard security protections, including encryption at rest. We recommend using a strong, unique password and keeping your browser and device secure.
11. Cookies & Local Storage
PsychePedia uses browser localStorage to store user preferences locally for performance and offline access. Session cookies or tokens may be used for authentication. We do not use third-party tracking cookies.
12. International Data Considerations
PsychePedia is available in English and Arabic and may be accessed from anywhere in the world. Your account data is stored on servers hosted by Supabase, which may be located outside your country of residence. Data processed by our hosting provider may also be handled in data centers outside your country. All these services maintain appropriate data protection safeguards.
13. Changes to This 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 PsychePedia after changes have been posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
14. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact us through the feedback form available in the footer of the Platform, or reach out to us at the email address provided on the Platform.
