Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 26, 2026

ARE ("Application Readiness Engine"), operated by Suraj Kumar ("we", "us", "our"), is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our platform at areengine.com and related services.

1. Information We Collect

Account Information: When you register, we collect your email address and an encrypted password.

Uploaded Files: Photos, signatures, and documents you upload for processing. These are temporarily stored for processing and delivered to you via secure download links.

Usage Data: We collect anonymized usage statistics such as pages visited, features used, processing times, and error logs to improve our service.

Payment Information: Payment transactions are handled by Razorpay. We do not store your card details, bank account numbers, or UPI IDs on our servers. Razorpay's privacy policy governs payment data.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To process your photos, signatures, and documents as requested
• To provide compliant outputs for government exams, passport/visa, and ID documents
• To maintain and improve our AI processing agents
• To communicate service updates and respond to support requests
• To prevent fraud and ensure platform security

3. Data Retention

Uploaded files and processed outputs are automatically deleted from our servers within 24 hours of processing. S3 presigned download links expire within 1 hour. Account data is retained as long as your account is active.

4. Data Security

We use industry-standard security measures including:

• HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data in transit
• Encrypted storage with AWS S3 server-side encryption
• Bcrypt password hashing
• JWT-based authentication with token expiry
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse

5. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

• AWS S3: Secure file storage (region: ap-south-1, India)
• Razorpay: Payment processing (governed by Razorpay's privacy policy)
• Google AdSense: Advertising on free-tier pages (governed by Google's privacy policy)

6. Cookies

We use minimal cookies for authentication (JWT tokens stored in localStorage) and may use cookies set by Google AdSense for ad personalization. You can disable third-party cookies in your browser settings.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your account data
• Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Opt out of promotional communications
• Request a copy of your data

8. Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date.

10. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions or data requests, contact us at:

Email: privacy@areengine.com
Owner: Suraj Kumar, India