Privacy Policy

What we collect

When you apply for founding access, we collect the answers you write, your name, email, university, study year, city, phone number and any optional social or portfolio link. We also record your consent choices and a receipt identifier.

When you join the waitlist, we collect your email and university. When you subscribe to the blog, we collect your email. When you contact us, we collect your email, message, topic and any name you provide. If you book an intro through Microsoft Bookings, Microsoft and Byte receive the details needed to arrange the meeting.

For security, we receive standard technical information such as an IP address and request headers. We convert the IP address into a one-way hash for abuse prevention rather than storing the raw address in our form records. If you allow analytics, we receive basic information about visits and page use.

This website does not currently collect grades, transcripts, coursework, timetables or institutional student records.

Why we use it

We use application information to assess and respond to founding access applications. We use contact and booking information to answer messages and arrange meetings. We use waitlist and newsletter details to send the updates a person explicitly requested. We use limited technical data to protect the site, prevent spam, diagnose problems and understand performance.

We do not sell personal information, build advertising profiles or use form answers to make solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects.

Our legal bases

We process an application or message because you asked us to take steps and respond, and because we have a legitimate interest in assessing applications and answering genuine enquiries. Where we ask for consent, including for email marketing and optional analytics, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting earlier lawful use.

We use legitimate interests to secure and operate this website, subject to your rights. We may also use information where necessary to meet a legal obligation or establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Marketing choices

Applying for founding access does not automatically subscribe you to marketing. Any waitlist or newsletter choice is separate. Every marketing message will provide a way to unsubscribe, and you can also email hello@usebyte.io.

Who handles information for us

We use selected service providers to operate the site: Vercel for hosting and delivery, Neon for the application database, Resend for transactional email and mailing lists, Microsoft Bookings for intro appointments, and Plausible for analytics if it is enabled and you consent where required. These providers process information for their stated service and under their own security and contractual commitments.

We may disclose information where required by law, during a properly managed company transaction, or where necessary to protect people, Byte or the integrity of our services. We do not sell it.

International transfers

Byte and some providers operate in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries. When UK or European personal information is transferred internationally, we use an available legal transfer mechanism, such as an adequacy decision, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or approved contractual clauses, together with appropriate safeguards.

How long we keep it

We plan to keep founding access applications for up to 24 months so we can assess and revisit them, unless a longer period is required for a legal reason or you agree otherwise. Contact messages are normally kept for up to 12 months after the conversation ends. Waitlist and newsletter details are kept until you unsubscribe or the list is retired. We may retain the minimum information needed to honour an unsubscribe request.

Security records are kept only as long as reasonably needed to investigate abuse and protect the service. When information is no longer needed, we delete or de-identify it.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to our use of your information, withdraw consent, or receive a portable copy. You may also complain to a data protection authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

To make a request, email hello@usebyte.io. We may need to confirm your identity before acting on it.

Age

The website’s forms are for people aged 13 or older. In the UK, a person aged 13 or older can generally consent to an online service’s use of their information. If you are under 13, do not submit a form. If we learn that we collected information from someone under 13 without valid parental authorisation, we will delete it.

Byte is designed around university life. Before the product processes broader student information, we will complete the appropriate privacy and child-safety assessments and publish product-specific information.

Security

We use access controls, encrypted transport, managed infrastructure, validation, abuse controls and limited internal access. No system can be guaranteed perfectly secure. If you believe information may be at risk, contact hello@usebyte.io.

Cookies and changes

Our Cookie Policy explains browser storage, analytics choices and third-party booking pages. We may update this policy as Byte changes. We will change the date above and make material changes reasonably prominent.