Educational Platform Privacy Policy

This educational platform is an experimental pilot application brought to you by your instructor(s) in collaboration with your Institution. We are committed to protecting the privacy of our students and faculty. This policy outlines how your personal data is collected, stored, and utilized within this platform.

How We Use Your Personal Information

Anonymous & System Information: We automatically collect standard system information when you access the platform, such as IP addresses, browser types, and access times. This data is used exclusively to maintain platform security, troubleshoot technical issues, and ensure reliable access for all students. This information is not used to personally identify you outside of security audits.

Personally Identifiable Information: Your personal information (such as your Name, Email, and Student ID) is used strictly for educational and administrative purposes:

FERPA Compliance: For users logging in with an institutional email address, we adhere strictly to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Your academic records, grades, and identifiable submission data are treated as confidential and are only accessible to authorized university personnel (such as your instructors and teaching assistants).
Private Accounts: For users logging in with private email addresses (e.g., Gmail, Hotmail), we store your name, email, and profile details for authentication and academic record association.
Authentication: We use your credentials to authenticate your access and associate your coursework with your academic record.
Course Communications: To send you necessary updates regarding assignments, platform maintenance, or course announcements.
Grading & Assessment: To automatically evaluate submissions and transmit grades to your institution's primary Learning Management System (LMS) or student information system.
Platform Analytics: Interactions with platform features, including the GenAI assistant, may be logged to help instructors understand class engagement and improve course materials.

Information Sharing

Your personal information and academic records are never sold or shared with external advertisers or commercial entities. We only share information under the following circumstances:

With internal institutional systems (such as the primary LMS) for official grade reporting and academic administration.
When required by law, subpoena, or to comply with a judicial process.
To protect the rights, property, or safety of the institution, its students, or the public, as permitted by law.

Security of Your Personal Information

We take reasonable steps to help protect your personal information in an effort to prevent unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Our platform is deployed on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), utilizing its built-in security features and "security by design" framework to safeguard our application and infrastructure. Key measures include:

Data Encryption: We utilize industry-standard encryption protocols provided by our infrastructure to protect data both in transit and at rest.
Access Control: We implement strict data minimization and role-based access controls to ensure that only authorized personnel can access sensitive information.
Industry Standards: Our practices are designed to align with global industry standards for data protection and security due diligence, supported by the robust security controls of our cloud environment.

Despite these measures, you should know that we cannot fully eliminate security risks associated with personal information. No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security. Any content you post or input you provide while using our Products is at your own risk.

Please be aware that the personal information we collect are processed and stored within the United States. Any personal information may be accessible to law enforcement and national security authorities upon their request for such information.

Cookies and Local Storage

The platform utilizes cookies and local browser storage which includes local storage, indexedDB etc., to manage your active session, your interactive work sessions, remember your preferences, and facilitate seamless navigation during your coursework. These tools are essential for the platform's core functionality and do not contain malicious code or track your activity across non-university websites.

AI Data Privacy

When utilizing AI-powered chat or feedback features, your interactions and prompts may be processed by third-party AI service providers, such as Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Anthropic. We utilize these services to provide enhanced educational features. However, you are strongly advised not to submit sensitive personal information, passwords, or confidential university data into any AI chat interface.

Data Retention

The platform administrators reserve the right to manage, archive, or delete user files and submission data at the conclusion of the academic term or in accordance with institutional data retention policies. Students are advised to maintain personal backups of their important coursework.

Contact & Support

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your data privacy or the use of this platform, please contact your course instructor directly.