Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

MatchMyStudy respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This Privacy Policy explains how MatchMyStudy collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information when you use our website and services.

By using MatchMyStudy, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy. Where consent is required by applicable law, we will request consent before carrying out the relevant processing.

2. Data Controller

3. Personal Data We Collect

Depending on how you use MatchMyStudy, we may process the following categories of personal data:

• Account information: email address, password credentials handled by our authentication provider, and account role.
• Profile information: information that you choose to provide as part of your MatchMyStudy profile.
• Consultant information: information provided by consultants when creating or maintaining consultant profiles.
• Reviews and feedback: information submitted through consultant reviews and ratings.
• Verification information: information submitted by consultants as part of verification or claim processes.
• Technical and usage information: information that may be generated automatically when you access and use the website, such as browser information, device information, approximate location information, pages viewed, interactions, and technical and security information.

4. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data where necessary to operate and improve MatchMyStudy and provide its features.

• To create and manage user accounts.
• To authenticate users and maintain account security.
• To provide student and consultant features.
• To display consultant profiles and relevant information.
• To manage reviews and ratings.
• To process consultant verification requests.
• To prevent misuse, fraud, and security problems.
• To maintain and improve the MatchMyStudy platform.
• To understand website usage and improve user experience.
• To measure website traffic and engagement.
• To provide advertising where applicable.
• To support affiliate relationships where applicable.
• To comply with applicable legal obligations.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

Where the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, we process personal data on one or more lawful bases depending on the purpose of the processing.

• Performance of a contract: where processing is necessary to provide services or manage your account.
• Legitimate interests: where necessary to operate, secure, maintain, and improve the platform, provided that these interests do not override your rights.
• Legal obligations: where processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
• Consent: where we specifically ask for your consent and applicable law requires consent, including certain uses of cookies, analytics, advertising, and similar technologies.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

MatchMyStudy may use cookies, local storage, and similar technologies to operate the website, maintain security, remember preferences, understand website usage, measure performance, and support advertising services.

Some cookies or similar technologies may be necessary for the operation and security of the website. Other technologies, including certain analytics and advertising technologies, may require your consent depending on applicable law.

MatchMyStudy uses a cookie banner on this website together with Google Consent Mode version 2. For visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, Consent Mode defaults to denied for advertising storage (ad_storage), analytics storage (analytics_storage), ad user data (ad_user_data), and ad personalisation (ad_personalization) until you choose. If you accept, those signals are updated to granted. If you reject non-essential cookies, they stay denied. Cookies needed to sign in and keep the site secure are not used for advertising.

You can change or withdraw that choice at any time with the Cookie settings control in the footer or the button below. The choice is stored in your browser. This banner is our own consent control, not the certified platform in Google AdSense Privacy and messaging. If a message is later published for this site there, it can use the same Consent Mode signals.

7. Google Analytics

MatchMyStudy uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the website, measure traffic and engagement, and improve the service.

Google Analytics may collect information such as website interactions, pages viewed, technical information about the device and browser, and other usage information. Google may process this information on behalf of MatchMyStudy and in accordance with its applicable policies.

Where consent is required, analytics-related storage and processing follow the analytics_storage Consent Mode signal and the choice you make in the cookie banner.

For more information about how Google handles data from websites and applications, please see Google's privacy information:

Google Privacy & Terms

8. Service Providers and Third Parties

MatchMyStudy uses third-party service providers to operate parts of the platform. These providers may process personal data on our behalf where necessary to provide their services.

MatchMyStudy currently uses Supabase for authentication and database services. Information required to create and manage your account may therefore be processed through Supabase.

MatchMyStudy also uses Google services, including Google Analytics. If advertising services are enabled, Google advertising services such as Google AdSense may also process information in connection with advertising and measurement.

Third-party services may process information according to their own privacy policies and applicable contractual and legal requirements.

9. Advertising

MatchMyStudy may use advertising services such as Google AdSense to display advertisements on the website.

Advertising providers may use cookies, identifiers, or other technologies to deliver, measure, and personalize advertising where permitted by applicable law and based on the user's consent choices.

When advertising services are enabled, Google and its advertising partners may process information associated with advertising requests, ad interactions, and measurement.

Users in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland are shown a consent message with choices for advertising-related processing. Those choices update Consent Mode: ad_storage, ad_user_data, and ad_personalization stay denied for visitors in those regions until they accept.

More information about Google's use of cookies for advertising can be found in Google's documentation:

How Google AdSense uses cookies

10. Affiliate Links and Commercial Relationships

MatchMyStudy may use affiliate links or other commercial relationships with third-party websites, education providers, learning platforms, products, or services.

If you click an affiliate link and subsequently make a qualifying purchase or take another qualifying action, MatchMyStudy may receive a commission or other compensation from the third party. The price you pay is not necessarily affected by the use of an affiliate link.

Affiliate relationships do not necessarily mean that MatchMyStudy endorses or guarantees the products or services offered by third parties. Users should review the terms and privacy policies of third-party websites before using their services.

Additional information is available on our Affiliate Disclosure page.

11. When We Share Information

We do not sell your personal data.

Personal data may be shared with service providers that help us operate MatchMyStudy, where necessary and subject to appropriate safeguards.

Some third-party services, including analytics and advertising providers, may process information as described in this Privacy Policy and according to applicable consent choices.

We may also disclose information where required by law, legal proceedings, or a lawful request from an authority.

12. Publicly Visible Information

Some information provided by consultants may be displayed publicly on MatchMyStudy so that students can discover and evaluate consultants.

Consultants should not submit sensitive personal information or information that they do not want to be publicly displayed unless MatchMyStudy specifically requests it for a legitimate purpose.

13. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including providing our services, maintaining security, resolving disputes, and complying with legal obligations.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for which it is processed.

You can delete your account from profile settings. Deletion removes your login, profile, posts, comments, likes, follows, and blocks. Messages you sent in someone else's conversation are kept so that person still has the thread, and your name on those messages is replaced with "Deleted user". Reports filed about an account are kept for moderation, with the deleted account's name removed. A consultant page you created is removed. A directory listing you claimed stays on MatchMyStudy and is disconnected from your account.

14. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss, or destruction.

However, no internet-based service can guarantee complete security.

15. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may have rights including:

• The right to access your personal data.
• The right to correct inaccurate information.
• The right to request deletion of your personal data.
• The right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
• The right to object to certain processing activities.
• The right to data portability where applicable.
• The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You can download a JSON copy of the personal data stored for your account, including links to files you uploaded, or delete your account, from profile settings. Those tools are available when you are signed in. To exercise another right, or if you cannot sign in, contact us using the details below.

16. Complaints

If you believe that your data protection rights have not been respected, you may contact us first. You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority.

17. Children

MatchMyStudy is not intended to knowingly collect personal data from children in circumstances where applicable law requires parental consent.

18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to MatchMyStudy, our data processing practices, or applicable legal requirements. The latest version will always be published on this page.