What we collect, and why
This policy explains what data MetaSkillGroup collects across internships, mentoring, the marketplace, and the agency — and how we protect it.
1. Information We Collect
We collect the following types of information depending on how you use the platform:
Account Information
Your name, email address, and hashed password on registration. We never store plain-text passwords.
Google OAuth Data
If you sign in via Google: your name, email, and profile picture. We do not receive your Google password.
Internship Application Data
Your application details, exam attempts and scores, tier placement, intro-call scheduling, and whether you have confirmed reading the onboarding guide.
Exam Integrity Data
During an exam, your camera stays on and you share your entire screen: we save a snapshot of each every few seconds. We also log activity such as tab switches, leaving fullscreen or the exam window, and signs of browser extensions. No audio is recorded. All of this is used only to check that the exam was taken fairly.
Content & Task Data
Blogs, templates, components, and projects you submit as an intern, along with task review and approval history.
Intern Programme Activity
If you are an intern: which skill notes you open and when (your name appears on every note page as a watermark), each file you download through free intern marketplace access, and your messages with our team and in group chats.
Purchase & Payout Information
Your order history as a buyer, and — if you are an intern who is owed a stipend or revenue share — the payout details (such as a bank account or UPI ID) you share with our team when a payout is due.
Usage Data
Pages visited, blogs liked or saved, comments posted, and downloads initiated.
Technical Data
IP address, browser type, OS, and referring URLs — collected via server logs.
Enquiry & Quote Data
Your name, phone number, email, city and project details when you use the contact or get-quote forms — used only to reply to you and prepare your quote.
2. How We Use Your Data
We use the information we collect to:
- Create and manage your account on MetaSkillGroup.
- Process internship applications and mentoring enrolments, and place you on the correct track.
- Monitor exam sessions for integrity — camera and screen snapshots, and violations such as tab-switching.
- Review and publish content you submit as an intern.
- Run intern features — skill notes, free marketplace access and group chats — and keep the records that stop notes or downloaded files from being shared outside the platform.
- Process marketplace purchases and provide access to purchased content.
- Calculate and send your stipend and/or revenue-share payout, when applicable, if you are an intern.
- Enable features like liking blogs, saving content, and posting comments.
- Send important updates about your account, application status, orders, or payouts.
- Improve the platform by analysing how users interact with content.
- Prevent fraud, abuse, or activity that violates our Terms & Conditions.
We do not sell your personal information to any third party. Ever.
3. Payments & Transactions
All payments on MetaSkillGroup — Mentored Internship fees (including an upgrade from the Unpaid Internship), optional retake fees, and marketplace purchases — are processed by Razorpay, a trusted payment gateway supporting UPI, debit/credit cards, net banking, and wallets.
We do not store, process, or have access to your payment credentials (card numbers, CVV, UPI PIN, etc.). All sensitive payment data is handled directly by Razorpay on their secure servers.
4. Intern Payouts
Payouts are processed manually by our team. When a stipend (Paid Internship) or a revenue-share payout (Mentored and Paid Internships only, when your content sells) is due, we ask you for the bank account or UPI details needed to send it. We use those details only to make that payout, and keep a record of the payout itself for as long as Indian tax and accounting rules require. Payout account details are not stored in your platform profile.
5. Exam & Application Data
Exam sessions run monitored — fullscreen, timed, with tab-detection enabled. We log this activity only to detect and act on integrity violations as described in our Terms & Conditions. Your application status, intro-call scheduling, and exam scores (including retake history) are stored so the MetaSkillGroup team can review your application and place you in the correct track.
Exams are proctored: you agree, before starting, to keep your camera on and share your entire screen. A snapshot of each is taken every few seconds (and when a rule is broken) — never video or audio. Snapshots are stored privately, can be opened only by our admin team to review that attempt, and are never shared or used for anything else. Our team deletes them once your attempt has been reviewed — at the latest 10 days after your exam — and all of them are deleted straight away if you delete your account.
6. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services that may process your data:
Razorpay
Payment processing for Mentored Internship fees (including upgrades from the Unpaid Internship), optional retake fees, and marketplace purchases.
Google OAuth
Optional login via your Google account. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
Firebase
Supports authentication on our backend.
Cloudinary
Image hosting and delivery for profile pictures and content images, and private storage for exam proctoring snapshots.
Vercel & Render
Our frontend and backend are hosted on Vercel and Render respectively, which may collect standard server-level logs.
MongoDB Atlas
Our database provider, used to securely store platform data.
Brevo
Sends our transactional emails — application updates, one-time passwords, receipts and notices.
Google Analytics
Loaded only if you accept analytics cookies. Gives us aggregated statistics about which pages are visited.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services. We encourage you to review their individual privacy policies.
7. Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember your preferences (such as dark/light theme), and understand how users navigate the site.
- Authentication — keeping your session active after login.
- Theme preference — remembering whether you prefer dark or light mode.
- Analytics — Google Analytics, loaded only if you accept analytics cookies, to understand which pages are most visited.
You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but this may affect certain features like staying logged in.
8. Data Security
We take reasonable technical measures to protect your data, including:
- Passwords are hashed using bcrypt — we never store plain-text passwords.
- All data in transit is encrypted via HTTPS/SSL.
- Card and UPI payment credentials are handled exclusively by Razorpay and never reach our servers.
- Access to user, application, and exam data is restricted to authorized team members only.
- In group chats on the intern dashboard, other members see only your name and profile photo — never your email address or phone number.
- Records of which notes you open and what you download as an intern can be seen only by our admin team.
However, no system is 100% secure. While we do our best to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please use a strong, unique password for your account.
9. Data Retention
We retain your account and application data for as long as your account is active. If you complete an internship and later delete your account, we retain a minimal record of your participation — limited to what's needed to verify your certificate and internship history — so that this can be confirmed in the future if ever required (for example, by an employer verifying your certificate). This minimal record does not include your full profile or content submissions once you've deleted your account.
Payment and payout records are retained for as long as required under applicable Indian tax and financial regulations.
10. Your Rights
As a user of MetaSkillGroup, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you, including your application and exam records.
- Request correction of inaccurate information in your profile.
- Request deletion of your account and associated data, subject to the minimal record described in Section 9 and any records we're required to retain for payout or legal purposes.
- Withdraw consent for optional communications.
- Download a copy of your data (order history, saved items) from your profile.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@metaskillgroup.com. We will respond within 7 business days.
11. Communications
By creating an account, you may receive transactional emails such as order confirmations, application status updates, password resets, exam-related notices, and payout confirmations. These are necessary for the service and cannot be opted out of while your account is active. We do not currently send promotional newsletters. If we do in future, you will always have the option to unsubscribe.
12. Data of Minors
If you are under 18 years of age, we require verifiable consent from a parent or legal guardian before collecting or processing any of your personal data — this applies to every track on the platform, including the free Unpaid Internship, not only paid tracks or tracks involving a stipend. We do not knowingly collect more information from minors than is necessary for the purpose it was collected for.
13. Grievance Redressal
If you have concerns about how your data is handled, first reach out to us at support@metaskillgroup.com. We aim to acknowledge your request within 1–2 working days and resolve it within 15 days.
If your concern remains unresolved after this process, you have the right to escalate your complaint to the Data Protection Board of India, as provided under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
14. Policy Updates
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we'll update the "Last updated" date above. Continued use after any change means you accept the updated policy.
15. Contact Us
Governed by the laws of India — disputes fall under the jurisdiction of courts in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.