Privacy Policy

LeetLadder collects limited information to provide and improve our services. The types of information we collect include:

• Account Information: When you create a LeetLadder account, we store your chosen username and a securely hashed version of your password. If you sign in via Google OAuth, we store your Google account ID to link your session — we never store your Google password.

• LeetCode Integration Data: When you voluntarily link your LeetCode handle, we fetch publicly available data from LeetCode's APIs, including your solved problem count, contest rating, and contest history. This data is used to populate your profile, leaderboard rankings, and analytics widgets on the platform.

• Activity Data: We record your problem-solving activity on LeetLadder (which problems you mark as solved, streak counts, and activity dates). This data powers features like streak tracking, activity heatmaps, and leaderboard rankings.

• Page View Analytics: We collect anonymous, non-personally-identifiable page view data (the URL path visited and a timestamp) to understand which sections of the site are most useful. No cookies or device fingerprints are used for this tracking.

• Community Content: Posts, comments, and messages you submit on the platform are stored to provide the community and messaging features.

We use the collected information exclusively for the following purposes:

• Providing the Service: Displaying your progress, powering leaderboards, enabling coding battles, and syncing your LeetCode statistics.

• Platform Improvement: Analyzing aggregated, anonymous usage patterns to understand which features are most valuable and where to invest development effort. For example, page view data helps us prioritize improvements to heavily-used sections.

• Communication: Sending you admin messages through the platform's built-in messaging system (e.g., responding to feedback or bug reports you submit).

• Content Moderation: Monitoring community posts and comments for violations of our community guidelines to maintain a constructive environment.

We do NOT sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes. We do NOT use your data for profiling or automated decision-making beyond what is described above.

LeetLadder uses Google AdSense to display third-party advertisements. These ads help fund the continued development and free operation of the platform. Here is how advertising cookies work on our site:

• Google uses cookies (small text files stored on your device) to serve ads based on your prior visits to LeetLadder and other websites across the internet.

• Google's advertising cookies enable it and its advertising partners to serve personalized ads to you based on your browsing interests.

• You may opt out of personalized advertising at any time by visiting Google's Ads Settings at https://www.google.com/settings/ads.

• You can also opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance at https://www.aboutads.info/choices/.

• LeetLadder itself does NOT set any first-party tracking cookies for advertising purposes. The only cookies on our site come from Google AdSense and standard session management for authentication.

LeetLadder integrates with the following third-party services:

• Google AdSense: For displaying advertisements (see the Cookies section above for details).

• Google OAuth: For optional sign-in via your Google account. When you use Google Sign-In, Google's own privacy policy applies to the authentication process.

• LeetCode Public APIs: We fetch publicly available data from LeetCode (solved counts, contest ratings) when you link your handle. We do not access any private LeetCode data.

• Vercel Analytics & Speed Insights: We use Vercel's built-in analytics for performance monitoring. These tools collect anonymous, aggregated performance metrics.

• MongoDB Atlas: Our database is hosted on MongoDB Atlas. All data is encrypted at rest and in transit.

Each of these third-party services operates under its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review their respective policies.

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you the Service:

• Account data (username, hashed password, linked LeetCode handle) is retained for the lifetime of your account.

• Activity data (solved problems, streaks, battle history) is retained for the lifetime of your account to maintain your progress history.

• Anonymous page view analytics are automatically deleted after 90 days.

• Community posts and messages are retained unless you or an administrator deletes them.

• Deleted accounts: If you request account deletion (via the Contact page), we will delete your personal data within 30 days. Some anonymized, aggregated data may be retained for analytics purposes.

LeetLadder is designed for users who are at least 13 years of age (or the minimum age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible. If you believe that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at support@leetladder.online.

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

• Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

• Right to Rectification: You can update your username, LeetCode handle, and other profile information at any time through your profile settings.

• Right to Deletion: You can request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us through the Contact page or at support@leetladder.online.

• Right to Object: You can opt out of personalized advertising through Google's Ads Settings.

• GDPR (EU/EEA residents): You have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation, including the right to data portability and the right to restrict processing.

• CCPA (California residents): You have the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete it, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. LeetLadder does not sell personal information.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@leetladder.online.

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted using TLS/SSL.

• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt with appropriate salt rounds — we never store plaintext passwords.

• Our database is hosted on MongoDB Atlas with encryption at rest, network isolation, and regular automated backups.

• Access to production data is limited to authorized administrators only.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of LeetLadder after any changes to this Privacy Policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.