Privacy Policy

Last updated: 13 July 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how BlackLetter ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use blacklettersqe.com and the BlackLetter service (the "Service"). BlackLetter is operated by a sole trader based in the United Kingdom. We are the data controller for the information described below.

If you have any questions about this policy or your data, contact us at support@blacklettersqe.com.

1. Who we are

BlackLetter is an online revision platform for the SRA's Solicitors Qualifying Examination Part 1 (SQE1), covering FLK1 and FLK2. We provide practice questions, flashcards, mock assessments, and AI-generated explanations to help users prepare.

2. The information we collect

Information you give us:

• Account details — your email address and a password (passwords are stored in hashed form by our authentication provider; we never see your plain password).
• Payment information — if you subscribe to Pro, your card details are collected and processed directly by Stripe. We do not receive or store your full card number; we only receive limited billing information such as your subscription status, the last four digits of your card, and billing country.
• Uploaded notes — if you use the notes feature, the study material you upload (text, images, or PDFs) is sent to our AI provider to generate questions, flashcards, and explanations for you. This material is processed transiently to produce your output and is not stored long-term on our servers, is not reused, and is never added to BlackLetter's own question bank.

Information we collect automatically:

• Usage data — questions answered, answers given, flashcard reviews, mastery progress, and similar activity, so we can show your progress and operate features such as spaced repetition and daily limits.
• Technical data — basic information such as your IP address, browser type, and device information, collected by our hosting and infrastructure providers for security and reliability.

3. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• create and manage your account and log you in;
• provide the Service, including tracking your progress, applying daily free-tier limits, and delivering AI explanations;
• process your subscription, trial, renewals, and cancellations;
• send you essential service emails (for example, email confirmation and account-related messages);
• maintain the security, integrity, and reliability of the Service;
• comply with our legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

4. Legal bases for processing (UK GDPR)

We process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Performance of a contract — to provide the Service you have signed up for and to process your subscription.
• Legitimate interests — to keep the Service secure, reliable, and improving, in a way that does not override your rights.
• Consent — where you actively choose to use an optional feature (such as uploading notes). You can withdraw consent at any time by not using that feature.
• Legal obligation — where we are required to retain certain records (for example, for tax or accounting).

5. The third-party services we rely on

We use trusted third-party providers to run BlackLetter. Each processes some of your data on our behalf:

• Supabase — authentication and database (stores your account, progress, and usage data).
• Stripe — payment processing and subscription management.
• Vercel — website hosting and delivery.
• Resend — sending service emails (such as email confirmation).
• Anthropic — the AI provider that generates explanations, flashcards, and analysis of any notes you choose to upload.

These providers may process data outside the UK. Where they do, appropriate safeguards (such as standard contractual clauses) are in place to protect your information.

6. How long we keep your data

We keep your account and progress data for as long as your account is active. If you close your account, we delete or anonymise your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we are required to retain certain records to comply with legal obligations (such as records of payments). Uploaded notes are not retained after your output is generated.

7. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you;
• ask us to correct inaccurate data;
• ask us to delete your data ("right to erasure");
• object to or restrict certain processing;
• request a copy of your data in a portable format;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, email support@blacklettersqe.com. You also have the right to complain to the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk if you believe we have not handled your data properly.

8. Cookies

We use only the cookies necessary to run the Service — for example, to keep you logged in. We do not use advertising or third-party tracking cookies.

9. Children

BlackLetter is intended for adults preparing for a professional qualification and is not directed at anyone under 18. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last updated" date above. Significant changes will be communicated where appropriate.

11. Contact

For any privacy questions or requests, contact support@blacklettersqe.com.