Student Policy

This Student Policy outlines PDFTEQ's commitment to the global academic community. It defines the rights, protections, and responsibilities of students, educators, and researchers using our platform across all jurisdictions (India, USA, EU, UK, and beyond).

1. Universal Free Access (Global Digital Equity)

In alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), PDFTEQ guarantees:

• 100% Cost-Free: All core tools (Merge, Compress, Convert, Edit) are free for students.
• No "Freemium" Traps: We do not limit file sizes or daily usage quotas for educational use.
• Global Availability: This policy applies to every student, regardless of country, economic status, or institution type (Public, Private, or Homeschool).

2. The "Trust-Based" Verification Model

Unlike other platforms that require .edu emails or ID scans:

• No ID Required: We do not ask for Student ID cards, transcripts, or enrollment letters.
• No Accounts: Students use the tools anonymously. No login or registration is ever required.
• No Data Harvesting: We do not collect student data to sell to recruiters or advertisers.

3. Educational Data Privacy Compliance

Our architecture is designed to comply with strict student data protection laws:

• FERPA (USA): Because we do not store student records or PII (Personally Identifiable Information), we do not trigger FERPA storage liabilities for schools.
• COPPA (Children's Privacy): We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. Our tools are "Client-Side," meaning data stays on the student's device.
• GDPR (EU) & DPDP (India): Students retain full ownership and control of their files.

4. No Payment Pressure

We strictly prohibit "Predatory Design Patterns" targeting students:

• No Paywalls: Students will never hit a "Pay to Continue" screen while working on an assignment.
• No Upselling: We do not continuously pester students to upgrade to "Pro" plans.
• Voluntary Support: Payments are positioned as optional donations for professionals who wish to support the platform.

5. Academic Integrity & Ethics

While we provide powerful editing tools, PDFTEQ respects the mandates of Universities and School Boards regarding academic honesty.

Strict Prohibitions:

Students must NOT use PDFTEQ to:

• Forge Documents: Alter grades on transcripts, modify letters of recommendation, or falsify attendance records.
• Bypass Security: Remove passwords from copyrighted textbooks or exam papers distributed by professors.
• Plagiarism: Modify metadata to claim authorship of another person's research paper or thesis.

Violation of these terms allows PDFTEQ to block access to specific IP ranges associated with abuse.

6. Information for Schools & IT Administrators

Educational institutions looking to whitelist PDFTEQ on campus networks:

• Bandwidth Friendly: Our WebAssembly engine processes files locally, reducing bandwidth load on school networks.
• Safe Environment: We actively block malware and enforce strict content security policies.
• No Installation: Works in any modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari) on Chromebooks, iPads, and Lab PCs.

7. Contact for Educational Partnerships

Universities or Student Unions wishing to partner with us or report issues:

Email: support@pdfteq.com