Privacy Policy

1Introduction

Welcome to SkillForgeX ("we", "our", "us"), an online learning platform available at skillforgex.edu.lk. SkillForgeX is an independent project founded and run by Sandaru Malisha from Sri Lanka.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use SkillForgeX, why we collect it, and how we protect it. By using our platform — whether you browse as a guest, register an account, or subscribe to a paid plan — you agree to the practices described here.

SkillForgeX is not a company — it's a personal project built by one developer. If you have concerns, you can always reach me directly.

2Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Give Us

Account details — full name, email address, username, and password (encrypted) when you register.
Profile information — grade level, WhatsApp number (optional), and display name.
Communications — messages you send through feedback forms, WhatsApp, or email.
Payment-related information — when you subscribe to Basic or Pro, payments are processed by third-party providers. We never store your card number.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

Usage data — pages visited, features used, quizzes taken, AI chats count.
Device data — browser type, operating system, approximate location (country-level only), and screen size.
Log data — IP address, timestamps of visits, and error logs.
Advertising data — Google AdSense may collect anonymous data about ad impressions and clicks (see Section 4 for details).

2.3 Information from Third Parties

Google Sign-In — if you log in with Google, we receive your name, email, and profile picture.
Firebase — user authentication and account data is securely stored via Google Firebase.

3How We Use Your Data

We use your information only for the following purposes:

To create and manage your account, and to log you in securely.
To deliver lessons, quizzes, videos, notes, and AI assistant responses.
To personalise your experience — for example, remembering your grade level and progress.
To process subscription payments for Basic and Pro plans.
To detect abuse, fraud, or violations of our Terms of Service.
To improve SkillForgeX — analytics help us understand which lessons work best.
To display relevant advertisements through Google AdSense (see Section 4 for details).
To send you important service updates (we'll never send marketing emails without your consent).

We never sell your personal information (name, email, account data) to advertisers, data brokers, or any third party. Ever. We do display Google AdSense ads, which use their own cookies — but your account data is never shared with Google.

4Cookies & Advertising

SkillForgeX uses browser storage and third-party advertising cookies to operate smoothly:

4.1 Essential Cookies

Theme preference — remembers whether you chose light or dark mode.
Login session — keeps you signed in between visits via Firebase.
Preferences — like your selected grade or last visited section.
Cookie consent — remembers your choice about ad cookies.

4.2 Advertising Cookies (Google AdSense)

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements that help keep SkillForgeX free. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our site — including the DoubleClick DART cookie, which enables Google to serve ads based on your prior visits to SkillForgeX and other websites.

What Google collects — IP address, approximate location, browser info, and anonymous interaction data.
What Google does NOT receive — your name, email, password, grade, or any account data from SkillForgeX.
Your control — you can opt out of personalised advertising at Google Ads Settings.
More info — see How Google uses information from sites that use its services.

4.3 Cookie Consent

On your first visit, we show a cookie consent banner. If you accept, Google AdSense may use cookies to show more relevant ads. If you decline or dismiss the banner, non-personalised (generic) ads will be shown instead. You can change your choice at any time by clearing your browser's site data.

You can also clear all this data anytime by clearing your browser's site data — you'll simply be logged out and asked to re-consent on your next visit.

5Third-Party Services

To run SkillForgeX, we rely on a few trusted partners. Each has its own privacy policy:

Google Firebase — secure authentication and database storage (Privacy Policy).
Google Sign-In — optional "Continue with Google" login.
Google AdSense — advertising platform that displays ads on SkillForgeX (How Google uses data).
YouTube — embedded lesson videos (Privacy Policy).
Payment providers — when you subscribe to a paid plan, your transaction is handled by the payment processor shown at checkout.
AI providers — the SkillForgeX AI Assistant is powered by third-party AI models. Your chat messages are processed by these providers to generate responses.

6Data Security

We take your data seriously and use industry-standard practices to protect it:

Encrypted in transit — all traffic uses HTTPS.
Encrypted at rest — account data is stored securely via Firebase.
Hashed passwords — passwords are never stored in plain text.
Limited access — only the developer has access to admin tools.
Ad data — Google AdSense handles all ad-related data on its own secure servers. We do not store ad interaction data on our servers.

That said, no system is 100% secure. If you notice suspicious activity on your account, please contact us immediately.

7Your Rights

You have full control over your data. You may:

Access — request a copy of the data we hold about you.
Correct — update your profile information anytime via your account settings.
Delete — request that we delete your account and associated data.
Export — request an export of your quiz history, chats, and progress.
Withdraw consent — stop using the service at any time.
Opt out of personalised ads — via Google Ads Settings.
Control ad cookies — decline the cookie banner or clear browser data.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at sandarumalisha1@gmail.com or WhatsApp +94 71 204 9343. We'll respond within 7 business days.

8Children's Privacy

SkillForgeX is designed with students in mind — including users under 18. We follow these extra rules to keep younger learners safe:

We do not require a phone number or home address to register.
We do not collect biometric data, precise location, or contacts.
For users under 13, we serve non-personalised ads only through Google AdSense. Google does not use cookies to personalise ads for these users, in accordance with COPPA and child privacy laws.
Parents or guardians can request deletion of a minor's account at any time by emailing us.

If you are under 13, please use SkillForgeX with the consent of a parent or guardian.

9Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as SkillForgeX grows. If we make significant changes, we'll announce them on the site and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

Continued use of SkillForgeX after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.

10Contact Us

Questions, concerns, or data requests? Reach out anytime:

Email: sandarumalisha1@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +94 71 204 9343
Developer: Sandaru Malisha — Founder & Developer
Location: Sri Lanka 🇱🇰