How we protect your data.

Sifter is where students build an investment track record that is time-stamped and checked against closing prices. That record is only worth something if the data behind it is handled carefully. Here is exactly how we protect it, in plain language.

Last updated: November 14, 2026

You decide what to share

We do not link your brokerage account. There is no Plaid connection and no automated pull from your real accounts. Everything in Sifter is entered or uploaded by you, voluntarily. You control what goes in and how much.

Your fund's data is private by default. Your fund's leaders choose how much of its Fund Page everyone on Sifter can see: hidden, listed, or open book.

How your data is protected

• Encrypted in transit. Every connection uses TLS, with HTTP Strict Transport Security enforced.
• Encrypted at rest. Your data is stored on infrastructure that encrypts the database with AES-256 by default.
• Isolated per fund. Row-level security is enforced at the database on every table (more than 600 policies), so one fund can never read another fund's data, even in the event of an application bug.
• Authenticated access. Reading or changing your data requires your signed sign-in token, and Sifter's own scheduled jobs use a separate server secret. The only things readable without signing in are what you choose to publish, such as your Sifter Card or your fund's public page. All third-party API keys live server-side only and are never exposed to the browser.
• Private files. Files you upload to a channel or your fund's documents open only for people who can see that channel or fund, through links that expire after an hour.
• Secrets kept apart. Sign-in tokens for services you connect (such as Google) are encrypted in a separate vault, not stored with the rest of your data.

What Sifter can and can't see

To compute your analytics, build the leaderboards, and render your public card, Sifter's systems read the portfolio data you enter. Any platform that does real work on your data can do the same. Here is where the lines are drawn:

• What we can see: the data you choose to enter. Production access is limited to Sifter's two founders, and our database provider keeps logs of database and API activity.
• What we can't see: your real brokerage accounts. There is no link to them, so we never see balances or activity you do not enter yourself.
• What we can't tie to you: the aggregate usage counts that help us improve the product carry no user, session, or browser identifier, so individual behavior cannot be reconstructed, even by us.

We do not sell your data, train models on it, or use it for advertising, and it is never used to evaluate you for grades, club standing, or recruiter visibility beyond what you choose to publish. You chose what to put in, and you choose what to publish.

We are not your custodian

Sifter holds a record of your portfolio, not the assets themselves. Your real money and securities stay with your brokerage. We are a performance and credentialing platform, not a broker or custodian, so a breach of Sifter could never move or access your actual holdings.

Built on trusted infrastructure

Sifter runs on Supabase, AWS and Vercel, providers that maintain SOC 2 Type II compliance for the infrastructure beneath us. Market data is licensed from Financial Modeling Prep, and macroeconomic series come from FRED. We share only what is necessary to operate the Service with these providers.

Reporting a vulnerability

If you believe you have found a security issue, please email us at admin@sifterfinance.com. We read every report and will respond promptly.

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