Legal
Privacy Policy
Last updated: June 11, 2026
DesperateMinds ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your personal data. By using our website at desperateminds.com, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
1. Information We Collect
We collect the following types of information:
- Test responses: The answers you provide during cognitive assessments. These are used solely to calculate your results and generate your report.
- Email address: If you choose to receive your report by email, we collect your email address to send it. We do not add you to any marketing list without your explicit consent.
- Payment information: If you purchase a paid test or report, payment is processed securely by Paddle. We do not store your card details — Paddle handles all payment data under their own privacy and security standards.
- Usage data: We collect standard analytics data such as pages visited, time on site, browser type, and approximate geographic location (country/region level). This is collected via Google Analytics and is used to improve the website.
- Cookies: We use cookies to remember your test progress, maintain session state, and serve relevant advertisements through Google AdSense. See Section 5 for more on cookies.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Calculate and deliver your cognitive assessment results and reports
- Send your report to your email address if requested
- Process payments for paid assessments
- Improve the accuracy, content, and user experience of our assessments
- Analyse website traffic and usage patterns in aggregate
- Serve relevant advertisements through Google AdSense
- Comply with legal obligations
3. Data Sharing and Third Parties
We do not sell your personal data to any third party. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:
- Paddle: Payment processing. Paddle's privacy policy applies to all payment data. Paddle acts as the Merchant of Record for our paid assessments.
- Google Analytics: Anonymised usage analytics. Google's privacy policy applies.
- Google AdSense: We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on this website. Google AdSense uses cookies and web beacons to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and other websites on the internet. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the internet. You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings. For more information on how Google uses data when you use our site, visit google.com/policies/privacy/partners.
- Email delivery provider: If you request an emailed report, we use a third-party email service to send it. Your email address is used solely for this delivery.
- Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and the safety of our users.
4. Data Retention
Test response data is retained for up to 90 days to allow for technical support and report regeneration if needed, after which it is permanently deleted. Email addresses used for report delivery are deleted within 30 days of delivery unless you have separately opted in to receive communications from us. Payment records are retained as required by applicable tax and financial regulations.
5. Cookies and Advertising
We use the following types of cookies:
- Essential cookies: Required for the website to function — saving your test progress, maintaining your session, and processing your results.
- Analytics cookies: Google Analytics cookies that help us understand how visitors use the website. These are anonymised and do not identify you personally.
- Advertising cookies: This website uses Google AdSense, a web advertising service provided by Google LLC ("Google"). Google AdSense uses cookies, DoubleClick cookies, and web beacons to serve advertisements on our pages. These cookies allow Google and its partners to serve ads based on your visits to this site and other sites across the internet. Google may use the DoubleClick cookie to enable it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the internet. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to our website. You can opt out of Google's use of cookies by visiting Google's Ads Settings. You can also opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page.
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies will prevent the tests from functioning correctly. Disabling advertising cookies will not remove ads from the site but will make them non-personalised.
6. Google AdSense and Third-Party Advertising
DesperateMinds participates in the Google AdSense programme. Advertisements appearing on our website are served by Google and its advertising partners. These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology such as cookies, JavaScript, or web beacons in their respective advertisements and links that appear on DesperateMinds. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalise the advertising content that you see on websites that you visit.
DesperateMinds has no access to or control over the cookies that are used by third-party advertisers. You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions on how to opt out of certain practices. DesperateMinds's privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or websites.
If you wish to disable advertising cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options or via Google's Ads Settings.
7. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal data.
- Correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate data.
- Objection: You may object to our processing of your data for advertising purposes.
- Portability: You may request your data in a portable format.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the email address listed in Section 9.
8. Children's Privacy
DesperateMinds assessments are designed for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted data through our website, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.
9. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us:
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the website after changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.