Privacy Policy — iitians.in (APEX Community)

Effective date: 1 June 2025

The APEX Community Forum (“Forum”, “we”, “us”) is operated by Phantix AI Pvt Ltd for the alumni and students of India’s most prestigious institutions — including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), BITS Pilani, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other premier medical colleges, Chartered Accountants (ICAI members), and graduates of other top-tier institutions 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:

Member Type Optional Profile Fields
:graduation_cap: IITians IIT campus, department, batch year, degree programme
:briefcase: IIM Graduates IIM campus, programme (MBA/PGDM/FPM), batch year
:gear: BITS Pilani Alumni Campus (Pilani/Goa/Hyderabad/Dubai), branch, batch year
:hospital: AIIMS & Medical Graduates Institution name, specialisation, batch year
:bar_chart: Chartered Accountants ICAI membership number, region, year of qualification
:classical_building: Other Premier Institutions Institution name, programme, batch year

Verification data — To maintain the integrity and exclusivity of the APEX community, we collect additional verification information depending on your institution type:

  • IITians — Roll number, institute email (e.g. @iitb.ac.in), or degree certificate reference

  • IIM Graduates — Institute email, GMAT/CAT admission reference, or degree certificate reference

  • BITS Pilani Alumni — BITS ID, institute email (e.g. @bits-pilani.ac.in), or degree certificate reference

  • AIIMS & Medical Graduates — MCI/NMC registration number, institute email, or degree certificate reference

  • Chartered Accountants — ICAI membership number and certificate of practice reference

  • Other Institutions — Institute email or degree certificate reference as applicable

This verification data is used solely to confirm eligibility for APEX membership. It is never displayed publicly or shared with other members.

Content you post — Topics, replies, direct messages, polls, 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

  • To operate, personalise, and secure your account

  • To send transactional emails (password reset, topic notifications, digest emails) — only for emails you have explicitly opted into

  • To display your public profile to other logged-in, verified APEX members

  • To verify your eligibility as an alumnus or student of a recognised premier institution as part of the APEX onboarding process

  • To match you with relevant cohorts — institution-wise, batch-wise, domain-wise, or city-wise

  • To detect spam, abuse, impersonation, and security threats

  • To generate anonymised aggregate statistics about Forum activity and community growth

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. Exercise discretion about what you share in public categories.

Member-only content — Content in members-only categories, institution-specific channels, batch cohorts, or domain groups is visible only to logged-in, verified APEX members.

Private messages — Visible only to the sender, recipients, and Forum staff when investigating a reported abuse complaint.

Verification data — Your verification documents and reference data (roll numbers, ICAI membership numbers, MCI registration numbers, institute emails, etc.) are accessible only to Forum administrators for the purpose of membership verification. They are never shared publicly, displayed on your profile, or disclosed to other members.

Staff — Forum administrators and moderators can access your email address, IP logs, and private messages solely for moderation and security purposes. Access to personal data is strictly limited to staff who require it for their moderation role.

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 norms under Indian law. We use industry-standard security practices including:

  • HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data in transit

  • Encrypted storage at rest for sensitive credentials and verification documents

  • Role-based access controls limiting staff access to personal data on a strict need-to-know basis

  • Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments

  • Secure deletion protocols for verification documents upon account closure

No system is completely secure. We encourage all APEX members to use a strong, unique password and to notify us immediately at support@iitians.in if you suspect your account has been compromised.

5. Data Retention

Your account and content are retained for as long as your account remains active. Upon account deletion:

  • Your username is anonymised and your personal profile data is permanently removed within 30 days

  • Verification documents and reference data are permanently and securely deleted within 30 days of account closure

  • Individually deleted posts are replaced with a placeholder and are not recoverable by you or Forum staff

  • Anonymised, non-identifiable aggregate data may be retained indefinitely for statistical and community reporting purposes

6. Your Rights

As an APEX member, you have the following rights regarding your personal data. You may at any time:

  • Access — Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you by emailing us at the contact address below

  • Correct — Update inaccurate profile information directly via your account settings

  • Delete — Close your account via your account settings or by contacting us; all personal and verification data will be removed within 30 days

  • Withdraw Verification Data — Request removal of your verification documents by contacting us; note that this will result in suspension of your verified APEX membership status pending re-verification

  • Opt Out — Manage and opt out of non-essential email notifications via your notification preferences at any time

  • Portability — Request a machine-readable export of your personal data by contacting us

We will acknowledge and respond to all verified data requests within 30 days of receipt.

7. Children

The APEX Forum is intended strictly for adults aged 17 and above. Given that membership requires verified graduation from or enrolment in a premier institution, all registered members are expected to be adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 18.

If you believe a minor has registered on the Forum, please contact us immediately at support@iitians.in and we will take prompt action to investigate and remove the account.

8. Third-Party Services

The Forum may integrate or link to third-party services including cloud infrastructure providers, email delivery services, and identity verification tools. These services operate under their own privacy policies and data processing agreements. We:

  • Select only third-party providers who meet adequate data protection and security standards

  • Enter into data processing agreements with all providers who handle personal data on our behalf

  • Do not permit third-party providers to use your data for their own marketing, commercial, or analytical purposes

9. Institution Data Disclaimer

APEX is an independent alumni community platform operated by Phantix AI Pvt Ltd. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any institution — including IITs, IIMs, BITS Pilani, AIIMS, ICAI, or any other educational or professional body. Institution names and logos referenced on the platform are the property of their respective owners and are used solely for identification and community-building purposes.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, community growth, or applicable law. Material changes will be announced in the #apex-announcements channel and the effective date at the top of this page will be updated accordingly.

For significant changes affecting how we handle your personal or verification data, we will additionally notify you by email if you have a valid email address on file. Continued use of the Forum after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact

For privacy-related questions, data access or deletion requests, verification data queries, or any other concerns, please contact us at:

:e_mail: support@iitians.in :globe_with_meridians: https://iitians.in/about