Privacy Policy — nitians.in
Effective date: 1 June 2025
The NITians Community Forum (“Forum”, “we”, “us”) is operated by Phantix AI Pvt Ltd for the alumni and students of the National Institutes of Technology across India. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data.
1. Information We Collect
Account information — When you register, we collect your email address, username, and optionally your name, NIT campus, branch, batch year, and profile photo.
Content you post — Topics, replies, direct messages, and uploaded files you create on the Forum.
Usage data — Browser type, IP address, pages visited, timestamps, and referring URLs, collected automatically via server logs and cookies.
Cookies — We use session cookies (required for login) and optional preference cookies. No third-party advertising cookies are used.
2. How We Use Your Information
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To operate and secure your account
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To send transactional emails (password reset, topic notifications, digests) — only emails you have opted into
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To display your public profile to other logged-in members
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To verify your NIT alumni or student status during the registration process
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To detect spam, abuse, and security threats
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To generate anonymised aggregate statistics about Forum activity
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.
3. Who Can See Your Information
Public content — Topics and replies posted in public categories are visible to anyone, including search engines.
Member-only content — Content in members-only categories is visible only to logged-in, verified NITian members.
Private messages — Visible only to the sender, recipients, and Forum staff when investigating a reported abuse complaint.
Staff — Forum administrators and moderators can see your email address, IP logs, and private messages solely for moderation and security purposes. No other staff have access to personal data.
4. Data Storage and Security
Your data is stored on servers in the AWS ap-south-1 (Mumbai) region, keeping your data within India in compliance with applicable data localisation requirements. We use industry-standard security practices including HTTPS/TLS encryption in transit and encrypted storage at rest for sensitive credentials.
No system is completely secure. We encourage you to use a strong, unique password and to notify us immediately if you suspect your account has been compromised.
5. Data Retention
Your account and content are retained for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your username is anonymised and your personal profile data is removed within 30 days. Individually deleted posts are replaced with a placeholder and are not recoverable. Anonymised aggregate data may be retained indefinitely for statistical purposes.
6. Your Rights
You may at any time:
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Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you — email your request to the contact address below
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Correct inaccurate profile information via your account settings
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Delete your account via your account settings or by contacting us directly
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Opt out of non-essential email notifications via your notification preferences
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Request portability of your personal data in a machine-readable format by contacting us
We will respond to all verified data requests within 30 days.
7. Children
The Forum is intended for adults aged 18 and above. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has registered on the Forum, please contact us immediately at support@nitians.in and we will take prompt action to remove the account.
8. Third-Party Services
The Forum may integrate or link to third-party services such as cloud storage or email delivery providers. These services are bound by their own privacy policies. We select third-party providers who meet adequate data protection standards and do not permit them to use your data for their own purposes.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be announced in the site announcements category and the effective date at the top of this page will be updated accordingly. Continued use of the Forum after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
10. Contact
For privacy-related questions, data access requests, or concerns, contact the Forum administrators at:
