Privacy Policy

The Simple Version

RateMyUnits is a free platform for students to anonymously review university units. We don't have user accounts, so we don't collect much personal information. Here's what we do collect and why:

• Cookies - To remember your preferences (like dark mode) and measure site traffic
• Analytics - To understand how people use the site and make it better
• Ads (Future) - We'll show ads to keep the site free. No tracking across other websites.

That's basically it! Keep reading for the detailed version if you want more info.

What We Collect

When You Submit a Review

• Review Content: Your ratings, comments, and unit feedback (posted anonymously)
• Email (Optional): If you want a copy of your review emailed to you
• Verification (Sometimes): Student ID or transcript to verify you took the unit (deleted within 30 days)

Automatically Collected

• Usage Data: Which pages you visit, how long you stay (via Google Analytics)
• Basic Tech Info: Browser type, device type, screen size
• IP Address: For security and preventing spam/abuse
• Cookies: Small files to remember your preferences (see Cookie section below)

When You Contact Us

If you email us at contact@ratemyunits.com, we'll have your email address and whatever you tell us in the message.

How We Use It

• Show Reviews: Display your anonymous reviews to help other students
• Fight Spam: Use IP addresses to prevent fake reviews and abuse
• Make Site Better: Analyze usage patterns to improve features
• Verify Legitimacy: Check that reviewers actually took the units they're reviewing
• Remember Preferences: Save your theme choice (dark/light mode)
• Respond to You: Reply if you contact us with questions
• Show Ads (Future): Display relevant ads to keep the site free

Who Sees Your Data

Public (Everyone)

• Your reviews and ratings (posted anonymously - no email shown)
• The date you posted the review

Our Service Providers

We use these services to run the site:

• Supabase: Stores reviews in our database (secure, encrypted)
• Netlify: Hosts the website
• Google Analytics: Tracks page views (anonymized data)
• Ad Networks (Future): Will show you ads to keep the site free

When Required by Law

We'll share data if legally required (court order, government request) or to protect the site from abuse.

We do NOT sell your data to anyone. Ever.

Security

We take security seriously:

• 🔒 HTTPS encryption - All data sent to/from the site is encrypted
• 🗄️ Secure database - Reviews stored in encrypted Supabase database
• 🚫 Spam prevention - IP blocking to stop fake reviews

Reality check: No website is 100% secure. We do our best, but can't guarantee perfect security.

How Long We Keep Data

• Reviews: Forever (they're public and help future students)
• Verification Files: Deleted within 30 days after we verify you
• Analytics: Google keeps data for 26 months, then auto-deletes
• IP Logs: Kept for 90 days (spam/abuse prevention)

Your Rights (GDPR/CCPA)

Depending on where you live, you might have these rights:

• See Your Data: Ask us what data we have about you (spoiler: probably just a review or two)
• Delete Your Data: Ask us to delete your reviews or email address
• Opt Out of Cookies: Disable analytics/ad cookies via the cookie banner

Email us at contact@ratemyunits.com to exercise these rights. We'll respond within 48 hours.

Note: We don't sell your data. We're a free student resource, not a data broker.

Policy Updates

We might update this policy occasionally (especially when we add ads). Check the "Last Updated" date at the top. Major changes will be announced on the homepage.

Questions?

Email us about privacy stuff: