Privacy Policy

CampusConnect TN ("CampusConnect TN", "we", "us", or "our") operates a college discovery and lead-generation platform that helps prospective students find, compare, and get in touch with engineering and arts & science colleges across Tamil Nadu. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have. It is written to be consistent with the principles of India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ("DPDP Act").

By using CampusConnect TN, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

1. What Data We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal data:

• Enquiry (lead form) data. When you submit the "Get Admission Guidance" / enquiry form on a college's page, we collect your name, mobile number, and optionally your email address and any message or course preference you provide.
• Account data. If you register for an account (as a student or as an institution representative), we collect your name, and either your email address or mobile number (or both), along with a password. Your password is stored in hashed form and is never visible to our staff.
• Review content. If you submit a review of a college, we collect the content of that review and associate it with your account.
• Saved colleges and preferences. If you save or shortlist colleges while logged in, we store that list against your account so it persists across visits.
• Browsing and usage data. Like most websites, our servers necessarily log basic technical information when you visit — such as the pages you request, your IP address, browser/device information, and timestamps — for the purpose of operating and securing the platform.

We do not ask for or knowingly collect sensitive information such as government ID numbers, financial account details, or academic marksheets through the platform.

2. Why We Collect It

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To connect you with colleges. The core purpose of an enquiry submission is to pass your interest and contact details to the specific college you enquired with, so their admissions team can reach out to you directly.
• To operate your account. To let you log in, save colleges, write reviews, and (for institution representatives) manage a claimed college listing and respond to enquiries.
• To improve the platform. To understand which colleges, courses, and districts are most useful to visitors, and to fix bugs and improve the site.
• To keep the platform safe. To detect and prevent spam, fake enquiries, fraudulent reviews, and abuse of the service.

We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

3. Who We Share Your Data With

When you submit an enquiry (lead form) for a college, the details you enter — your name, phone number, email if provided, and your message/course interest — are shared directly with that college/institution's admissions team so they can respond to you. This is the core function of CampusConnect TN and the reason the enquiry form exists: without this sharing, the college would have no way to contact you back. Please only submit an enquiry to colleges you are genuinely interested in hearing from.

We may also share limited data with:

• Service providers who host our infrastructure or help us operate the platform (for example, cloud hosting and email delivery providers), strictly to provide those services to us, and not for their own independent use.
• Legal and safety purposes — if required to comply with applicable law, a valid legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of CampusConnect TN, our users, or the public.

We do not share your account password, or your full enquiry history across all colleges, with any single college — a college only receives the enquiries you sent to that college.

4. Data Retention

We retain personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy — for example, for as long as your account remains active, or for a reasonable period after an enquiry is submitted so that colleges can follow up and we can maintain accurate records. Where data is no longer needed for these purposes, or where you have validly requested its deletion, we take reasonable steps to delete or anonymise it, subject to any legal or regulatory retention obligations that may apply.

5. Your Rights

Consistent with the principles of the DPDP Act, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or outdated personal data.
• Request deletion of your personal data, subject to any legitimate purpose or legal requirement that may require us to retain certain records.
• Withdraw consent for future processing, where processing is based on your consent.
• Grievance redressal — raise a complaint about how we have handled your personal data.

To exercise any of these rights, please reach out to us via our Contact Us page, selecting "Data Request" as the category, and we will respond within a reasonable timeframe.

6. Cookies

CampusConnect TN uses a single essential cookie to keep you logged in: an httpOnly session cookie that stores an authentication token once you log in or register. This cookie cannot be read by page scripts (it is not accessible to JavaScript), is only sent back to our own servers, and is used solely to recognise you as logged in across page requests. We do not currently use analytics, advertising, or third-party tracking cookies.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including hashing account passwords and transmitting data over encrypted connections. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Children's Privacy

CampusConnect TN is intended for use by prospective college students, typically 16 years of age or older, and their families. We do not knowingly collect personal data from young children.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. We will update the "Last updated" date above when we do. Continued use of the platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, or want to exercise any of your data rights, please visit our Contact Us page.