Privacy Policy

1. Overview

CodeTayo ("we", "us", or "our") is a student-led tech community. We respect your privacy and are committed to transparent, straightforward data practices. This policy explains what information we collect, how it is used, and how you can control your visibility and data.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect information necessary to provide the community experience:

• Account Information: When you sign up, you provide your email address. We use email One-Time Passwords (OTP) for secure, passwordless authentication.
• Member Profile Details: Your display name, first and last name, username handle, headline, bio, university affiliation, location, roles, interests, and skills.
• Projects & Links: Project titles, descriptions, and URLs you choose to showcase, as well as external links (such as GitHub, LinkedIn, or portfolio links).
• Avatars: If you upload a profile picture, image files (up to 2MB) are stored in our storage bucket.

3. Visibility & Privacy Controls

You have full granular control over your profile and directory visibility:

• Public: Your profile page at codetayo.tech/[username] is publicly accessible and eligible for search engine indexing.
• Members Only: Your profile is only viewable by logged-in CodeTayo members. Unauthenticated visitors and web crawlers are served a restricted privacy view with zero profile data.
• Private: Only you can view your profile. All other visitors and search engines receive a restricted response.
• Directory Visibility: You can choose whether your profile appears in the public Connect member directory.
• Public Email: Your email address is private by default and is only shown on your profile if you explicitly enable the public email toggle.

4. Backend Infrastructure & Storage

CodeTayo uses Appwrite Cloud as its authentication, database, and object storage backend. Member data is stored in Appwrite TablesDB with server-verified access controls and role-based permissions.

5. Cookies & Session Storage

We use strictly necessary HTTP cookies for session authentication to verify who you are when you log in. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking scripts.

6. Data Retention & Account Deletion

You have the right to delete your account at any time. When you initiate account cleanup through your profile settings:

• Your member profile record and child records (projects, links) are permanently deleted.
• Your avatar image file is removed from our storage bucket.
• Your authentication account and active sessions are terminated.
• Search engines are notified via IndexNow where applicable to remove formerly public URLs.

7. Third-Party Links

Member profiles and community pages may contain links to external sites (e.g. GitHub, LinkedIn, personal websites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites.

8. Contact Us

If you have questions about your privacy, data, or this policy, please reach out directly at hello@codetayo.tech.