Privacy Policy

BFM Academy ("we", "us") runs a learning platform and hosts hackathons. This policy explains what personal data we collect when you use the site, why we collect it, how long we keep it and what you can ask us to do with it.

It applies to this website and every sub-domain we operate. It does not cover third-party sites we link to — sponsors, partner protocols or community channels each have their own policies.

Account data: the name, email address and username you give us when registering, plus an optional avatar and bio.

Participation data: the hackathons you register for, teams you join, submissions you make, course progress and any tokens or badges you earn.

Wallet data: if you connect a wallet, we store the public address. We never ask for, receive or store private keys or seed phrases.

Technical data: IP address, browser and device type, and pages visited. This is collected in server logs and is used for security and aggregate analytics.

To run the service — authenticate you, track course progress, register you for hackathons, and pay out prizes.

To communicate — event reminders, submission deadlines, results and service notices. Marketing email is separate and opt-in; you can unsubscribe from any of it in one click.

To improve the platform — understanding which courses get finished and where people drop off, in aggregate rather than individually.

To keep things safe — detecting fraudulent submissions, duplicate accounts and abuse.

Where the law requires a basis for processing, we rely on: performance of a contract (running the courses and events you signed up for), legitimate interests (security, fraud prevention, product improvement), consent (marketing email, optional cookies), and legal obligation (tax and accounting records for prize payouts).

Hackathon sponsors receive the submissions entered into their track, along with the team names and contact emails of participants — this is how judging and prize delivery work. We tell you which sponsor is involved before you register.

Service providers — hosting, email delivery, analytics and payment processing — handle data on our behalf under contract, and may not use it for their own purposes.

We do not sell personal data. We disclose it to authorities only where legally compelled, and we will tell you unless prohibited from doing so.

Essential cookies keep you signed in and maintain your session; the site cannot function without them.

Analytics cookies help us understand aggregate usage. These are optional and only set after you consent. You can withdraw consent at any time in your browser settings or via the cookie banner.

Account data is kept while your account is active and for 12 months afterwards, in case you return.

Submissions and results are kept indefinitely as a public record of the event, though we will anonymise your name on request.

Server logs are rotated after 90 days. Financial records tied to prize payouts are kept for as long as tax law requires.

You can ask us to show you the data we hold, correct anything wrong, delete your account, export your data in a portable format, or stop processing for marketing purposes.

Email support@bfmacademy.in from your registered address and we will respond within 30 days. If you are unhappy with the outcome, you may complain to your local data protection authority.

Data is encrypted in transit with TLS and at rest. Access to production systems is limited to staff who need it and is logged.

No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your data, we will notify you and the relevant authority without undue delay.

The platform is not directed at children under 16. If you believe a child has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.

We may update this policy as the platform changes. Material changes will be announced by email and on the site at least 14 days before they take effect. The date at the top always reflects the current version.