Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-08-25

BrainRank ("the Service") takes your privacy seriously. Below is a transparent account of exactly what information we collect and use.

1. Information we collect

At sign-up: email address, password (stored encrypted), nickname.

While using the service: profile image (only if you upload one), last login time, consecutive login streak, your test results (score and timestamp), and the posts, comments, votes, and reports you submit.

Authentication: to keep you signed in, we store an authentication token (JWT) in an HttpOnly browser cookie. This cookie cannot be accessed by JavaScript and is used solely for authentication.

Automatically collected information: to prevent duplicate view counts on posts, we temporarily use your IP address in server memory for up to 10 minutes. For logged-in users we use your account instead of your IP, and IP addresses themselves are never stored in our database.

2. Purpose of collection and use

We use this information to identify members and authenticate logins, save test records and provide rankings, power community features (posts, comments, votes, reports), and prevent abuse (such as view-count manipulation or spam posting).

We do not use the information we collect for any purpose beyond those stated here.

3. External services we use

Google AdSense: we display ads to help fund the service. Google may use its own cookies for ad delivery and personalization. See Google's Privacy Policy (policies.google.com/privacy) for details on how Google handles data.

DeepL API: used to automatically translate board names and descriptions (set by administrators) into English, Japanese, and Chinese. Only board metadata is sent — never your personal information, and never the content of your posts or comments.

We do not use any other visitor analytics tools.

4. Retention period

Account information is retained until you request deletion or withdrawal. Self-service account deletion isn't currently available — please request it via the Contact page and we'll process it after review.

Posts and comments are retained until deleted by the author or removed by us for policy violations. Deleted posts/comments are shown as "This post has been deleted" and, for operational purposes, may be retained in a deleted state rather than being immediately and permanently erased.

IP addresses are only held temporarily in server memory for up to 10 minutes, as described in Section 1, and are never stored in our database.

5. Sharing with third parties

We do not share your personal information with third parties, except where required by law or requested by law enforcement through lawful process.

6. Cookies

We use an essential authentication cookie to keep you signed in.

Google AdSense may set its own cookies for ad delivery.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, though this may limit features such as staying signed in.

7. Your rights

You can view and edit your own information (such as your nickname) directly from your profile page.

For additional requests, such as data deletion, please contact us via the Contact page and we will respond promptly after review.

8. Contact

For any privacy-related questions, please use the Contact page.

9. Effective date

This Privacy Policy is effective as of 2026-08-25. Any changes will be announced on this page.