ACADEMIC HELPLINE · MIT SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

Privacy Policy

Last updated 30 August 2026 · Applies to the MyVishwaGuru website and the MyVishwaGuru Android app (com.mitsde.myvishwaguru)

In short: MyVishwaGuru is a study companion for enrolled MITSDE learners. We use your academic record to show you the right subjects, and we send your questions to our AI provider so they can be answered from your study material. We do not sell your data, we do not show advertising, and we do not ask for your location, contacts, photos or files.

1. Who we are

MyVishwaGuru is operated by MIT School of Distance Education (MITSDE), Pune, Maharashtra, India, for the use of its enrolled learners and academic staff. In this policy "we", "us" and "our" mean MITSDE, and "you" means the learner or staff member using the service.

The service is available as a website and as an Android application. This policy covers both.

2. What we collect

Information MITSDE already holds about you

Your account is created by MITSDE from its own student records. We do not ask you to enter these details yourself:

Name and registration ID
Email address
Programme, specialization, batch and current semester
Your role (learner, faculty or administrator)

Information created when you use the service

What	Why we hold it
Your password	Stored only as a cryptographic hash. Nobody at MITSDE can read it, and it cannot be recovered — only reset.
Your questions and the answers given, grouped into conversations, with the subject and the chapter and page references used	So you can return to an earlier conversation, and so academic staff can see which topics learners find difficult.
Usage records: date and time, subject, AI model used, the size of each request and response, and how long it took	To monitor cost, capacity and response quality.
App diagnostics: app version, platform, Android version, device model, and which screens and actions were used	To find and fix faults, and to know which app version and devices a problem affects.
A notification token, if you have notifications enabled	So we can send you academic announcements. It identifies the app installation, not you personally.

What we do not collect

The app requests no permission to your location, contacts, camera, microphone, photos, files, call logs or SMS, and collects no advertising identifier. We do not take payments through the app, so we never see card or bank details.

3. How we use your information

To sign you in and keep your session secure.
To show you the subjects for your own programme, specialization and semesters — this is the only reason we use your academic record.
To answer your questions from the study material of those subjects.
To keep your conversation history so you can return to it.
To send you academic announcements, if notifications are enabled.
To understand, in aggregate, which subjects and topics learners struggle with, so that teaching and study material can be improved.
To keep the service running: fixing faults, monitoring cost, and preventing misuse.

We do not use your information to advertise to you, and we do not make automated decisions that affect your academic standing. MyVishwaGuru does not grade you, and nothing you ask it is part of your assessment.

4. Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it with anyone for their own marketing. We share it only with the service providers needed to run MyVishwaGuru:

Provider	What reaches them
OpenAI — generates the answers	Your question, the relevant extracts of your study material, and recent messages in the same conversation. Your name, email and registration ID are not sent. OpenAI processes this through its business API, under which content sent by an organisation is not used to train its models.
Google Firebase Cloud Messaging — delivers notifications	The notification token for your app installation and the text of the announcement being sent. Used only if notifications are enabled.
Google Play — distributes the Android app	Google provides us with aggregate install and crash statistics. We receive no individual identity from Play.
Our hosting and database provider	Stores the service and its data on our behalf, under contract, with no right to use it for any other purpose.

We may also disclose information where we are required to by law, or where it is necessary to protect the safety of a person or the integrity of the service.

5. How we protect it

All traffic between your device and our servers is encrypted with HTTPS.
Passwords are stored only as hashes, never as readable text.
Sessions expire, and a learner account created in bulk must set a new password before it can be used.
Access to learner data is limited to the MITSDE staff who need it for academic or technical administration.

No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your personal data, we will inform you and the appropriate authority as required by law.

6. How long we keep it

Your account and academic record — for as long as you are enrolled with MITSDE, and afterwards for as long as MITSDE is required to retain student records.
Your conversations — until you or MITSDE delete them, or your account is closed.
Usage and diagnostic records — retained in aggregate for planning and cost analysis. Records that identify an individual are removed when the account is deleted.
Notification tokens — deleted when you log out, uninstall the app, or turn notifications off.

7. Your rights

Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and as a matter of MITSDE policy, you may ask us to:

tell you what personal data we hold about you and who it has been shared with;
correct anything that is inaccurate or out of date;
delete your conversation history;
delete your account, subject to the records MITSDE must retain by law or regulation;
stop sending you notifications — you can also simply turn them off on your device.

Write to the address in section 10 and we will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Data Protection Board of India.

8. Children

MyVishwaGuru is provided to learners enrolled in MITSDE's post-graduate and diploma programmes, who are adults. It is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly create accounts for anyone under 18. If you believe a child has an account, contact us and we will remove it.

9. Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle your information, we will update this page and change the date at the top. Where a change is significant, we will also tell you in the app or by email.

10. Contact us

For any question about this policy, or to exercise any of the rights in section 7:

Dr Nitin Zadpe, MITSDE
MIT School of Distance Education
MITSDE, Alandi-Moshi Road, Alandi, Pune 412102
Email: nitin@mitsde.com