Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 1, 2026

1. Introduction

EssayCompass is an essay-inspiration service that helps students draft sample college application essays from their own profile. We are committed to protecting your privacy and safeguarding your information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use our platform.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect information you provide directly, including:

  • Name, username, and email address

  • Account credentials and authentication information

  • If you sign in with Google, the basic profile information Google shares with us (name and email)

  • For group accounts, the names and profiles of the students (roster members) you manage

2.2 Profile and Essay Content

To generate essay inspiration, we collect the content you enter, including:

  • Profile facts and personal story material you provide

  • Essay prompts, opening hints, background information, and desired traits

  • Generated essays, analyses, and any tags or remarks you add

2.3 Payment Information

Credit purchases are processed by our third-party payment processor, Stripe. We do not store your full card details on our servers. We retain records of your purchases, such as amount, credits added, and transaction identifiers.

2.4 Automatically Collected Information

When you use our services, we automatically collect certain information, including:

  • Device information and identifiers

  • IP address and approximate location

  • Browser type and version

  • Usage patterns and interaction data

  • Cookies and similar technologies

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Generate essay drafts, analyses, and inspiration from your profile and prompts

  • Provide, maintain, and improve our services

  • Process credit purchases and manage your account balance

  • Communicate with you about your account, including verification and password-reset emails

  • Send important updates, security alerts, and administrative messages

  • Detect, prevent, and address technical issues, abuse, and security threats

  • Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service

4. AI Processing of Your Content

To produce essay inspiration, your profile content and prompts are sent to the AI model that powers our generation service and used to create your requested output. We do not sell your content. Please avoid submitting sensitive information you would not want processed for this purpose.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

5.1 Service Providers

We share information with third-party providers who perform services on our behalf, such as cloud hosting, our AI generation provider, and payment processing (Stripe). These providers are permitted to use your information only to provide services to us.

5.2 Group Accounts

If your profile is managed under a group account (for example, a counselor or organization), the account owner can view and manage the profiles and essays associated with their roster.

5.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or regulation, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our users.

5.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity, subject to the same privacy protections.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your information, including:

  • Encryption of data in transit

  • Secure authentication and access controls

  • Payment handling by a PCI-compliant processor (Stripe)

  • Regular updates and monitoring

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Data Retention

We retain your account, profile, and essay content for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide our services. You may request deletion of your content or account at any time. We may retain certain records (such as transaction history) where required for legal, accounting, or fraud-prevention purposes.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights:

  • Access: Request access to your personal information

  • Correction: Request correction of inaccurate information

  • Deletion: Request deletion of your account or content

  • Portability: Request a copy of your data

  • Objection: Object to certain processing activities

  • Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information in the Contact section below.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, analyze usage, and improve our services. You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling them may limit certain features.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are intended for students applying to college and are not directed at children under 13. If you are under the age of majority in your jurisdiction, please use EssayCompass only with the involvement of a parent, guardian, or school counselor. If we learn we have collected information from a child in a manner inconsistent with applicable law, we will delete it promptly.

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence, which may have different data protection laws. We take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated policy on our website and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued use of our services after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us through our contact form or the contact information provided on our website.