Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Edvidence ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your data when you use our educational tracking platform.

Edvidence is designed specifically for UK home-schooling parents to track and document their children's educational progress. We understand the sensitive nature of educational records and take our responsibility to protect your family's data seriously.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Website Visitors

When you visit our website, we may collect:

• Email address (if you create an account or subscribe to updates)
• Analytics data through Google Analytics (only with your consent)
• Device information and browser type
• IP address and general location

2.2 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Email address
• Display name
• Authentication credentials (managed securely through Firebase Authentication)

2.3 Child Information

To provide our educational tracking services, you may provide:

• Child's name
• Date of birth
• Age (calculated automatically from date of birth)

2.4 Educational Experience Data

When you document educational experiences, we collect:

• Experience titles and descriptions
• Learning reflections and feelings
• Learning lens categorisations (subjects/areas of learning)
• Dates and times of experiences
• Location information (if you choose to add it)
• Photos, videos, and documents you upload
• Voice recordings and their transcriptions (if you use voice-note features)

2.5 Payment Information

We use Stripe to process subscription payments. We do not store your complete payment card details on our servers. Stripe collects and processes payment information in accordance with their privacy policy and PCI-DSS standards.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and maintain our educational tracking services
• Generate educational reports and summaries
• Process your subscription payments
• Send important service notifications and updates
• Improve our platform and develop new features
• Provide customer support
• Ensure platform security and prevent fraud
• Comply with legal obligations
• Analyse website traffic and user behaviour (only with your consent via Google Analytics)

4. Google Analytics and Cookies

4.1 What is Google Analytics?

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about your use of our site.

4.2 What Data Does Google Analytics Collect?

Google Analytics collects information such as:

• Pages you visit and time spent on each page
• How you arrived at our site (e.g., search engine, direct link, referral)
• Your device type, browser, and operating system
• General location information (country and city level only)
• Interactions with site elements (clicks, scrolls, form submissions)

4.3 Why We Use Google Analytics

We use this information to:

• Understand which pages and features are most useful to visitors
• Identify technical issues and improve site performance
• Optimise the user experience and navigation
• Make informed decisions about new features and content

4.4 Your Consent and Control

We only use Google Analytics with your explicit consent. When you first visit our website, you'll see a cookie consent banner. Google Analytics will only be activated if you click "Accept Cookies."

You can control your cookie preferences at any time by:

• Clearing your browser's cookies and local storage
• Using browser settings to block cookies
• Installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on

4.5 Data Retention

Google Analytics data is automatically deleted after 14 months. We do not retain analytics data indefinitely.

4.6 Other Cookies

In addition to Google Analytics, we use essential cookies to:

• Keep you logged in to your account
• Remember your preferences and settings
• Ensure platform security and prevent fraud
• Store your cookie consent preferences

These essential cookies are necessary for the website to function properly and do not require consent under UK law.

5. Data Storage and Security

5.1 Security Measures

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

• All data is encrypted in transit using TLS/SSL
• Data at rest is encrypted using enterprise-grade encryption
• Access to your data is restricted through secure authentication
• We use secure, isolated network infrastructure
• Regular security audits and monitoring
• Secure backup and disaster recovery procedures

5.2 Data Location

Your data is stored on secure cloud infrastructure. We use enterprise-grade cloud services that comply with international data protection standards including GDPR.

5.3 Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. If you deactivate your account, your data is retained but inaccessible. When you permanently delete your account, all associated data is permanently deleted from our systems within 30 days.

6. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We only share data with carefully selected third-party service providers who help us operate our platform, including:

• Google Analytics (only with your consent)
• Authentication and identity verification services
• Payment processing services (Stripe)
• AI and machine learning services for voice transcription and content analysis
• Mapping and location services (when you choose to use them)
• Cloud infrastructure and hosting providers

All third-party service providers are carefully vetted and contractually obligated to protect your data, use it only for the purposes we specify, and comply with applicable data protection laws.

We may also disclose your information if required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and safety.

7. Your Rights and Choices

Under GDPR and UK data protection laws, you have the following rights:

7.1 Access and Portability

You can access all your data through your account dashboard. You can export your educational reports in Word or PDF format at any time.

7.2 Correction

You can update or correct your information at any time through your account settings or by editing individual experiences and child profiles.

7.3 Deletion

You have the right to delete your data at any time:

• Individual Items: Delete specific experiences, photos, or child profiles through the app interface
• Account Deactivation: Temporarily deactivate your account whilst retaining your data
• Account Deletion: Permanently delete your account and all associated data

7.4 How to Delete Your Account

To permanently delete your account and all data:

1. Log in to your Edvidence account
2. Navigate to Settings → Account Settings
3. Click "Delete Account"
4. Confirm your decision

Upon account deletion, the following data will be permanently removed within 30 days:

• Your user account and profile information
• All child profiles you created
• All educational experiences and their content
• All uploaded photos, videos, and documents
• All voice recordings and transcriptions
• All generated reports and summaries

Note: Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. We recommend exporting any reports or data you wish to keep before deleting your account.

8. Children's Privacy

Edvidence is designed for use by parents and guardians to track their children's education, including children of all ages. Whilst our platform is used to document educational experiences for children under 13, the service is operated and controlled by parents or legal guardians, not by the children themselves.

Parents and guardians are solely responsible for the information they choose to record about their children. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children without parental consent and control.

We encourage parents and guardians to discuss with their children what information is being documented about their educational journey and to respect their children's privacy preferences where appropriate.

9. International Data Transfers

Whilst Edvidence is primarily designed for UK users, our cloud infrastructure may process data in different geographic locations. All international data transfers are protected by appropriate safeguards in compliance with GDPR and UK data protection laws.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any material changes by email or through a prominent notice in the app. Your continued use of Edvidence after such changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: