Privacy Policy

Introduction

Welcome to AlwaysLerning ("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, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our learning accountability platform and services.

By using AlwaysLerning, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our services.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

• Account Information: Email address, display name, password (encrypted), and username
• Profile Information: Bio, avatar/profile picture, timezone, and profile visibility preferences
• Learning Data: Challenge selections, daily check-ins, progress notes, reading goals, and streak information
• Payment Information: Processed securely through Stripe. We do not store your full credit card details
• Communications: Support tickets, feedback, and messages you send us
• Community Content: Posts, comments, and interactions in cohort forums

1.2 Automatically Collected Information

• Usage Data: Features used, pages viewed, time spent on platform, and interaction patterns
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, IP address, and device identifiers
• Log Data: Access times, error logs, and performance metrics
• Cookies: Session tokens, preferences, and analytics data (see Section 7)

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Provide Services: Enable you to track learning goals, join challenges, and maintain streaks
• Account Management: Create and manage your account, process payments, and handle subscriptions
• Personalization: Customize your experience based on preferences and learning patterns
• Communication: Send reminder emails (Premium only), important updates, and respond to support requests
• Analytics: Understand usage patterns, improve features, and optimize performance
• Community Features: Enable cohort challenges, forums, and buddy matching
• Security: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access
• Legal Compliance: Comply with legal obligations and enforce our terms

3. Data Sharing and Disclosure

3.1 We Share Information With:

• Other Users: Your public profile, badges, and challenge participation (based on your privacy settings)
• Cohort Members: Your progress and leaderboard position in cohort challenges you join
• Service Providers: Trusted third parties who help us operate our platform:
  • Supabase (authentication and database hosting)
  • Stripe (payment processing)
  • Resend (email delivery)

3.2 We Do NOT:

• Sell your personal information to third parties
• Share your check-in notes or private messages with other users
• Use your data for advertising purposes
• Share your email address without your consent

3.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government request, or if necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety.

4. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services:

• Active Accounts: Retained indefinitely while your account is active
• Deleted Accounts: Soft-deleted for 30 days, then permanently removed (except as required by law)
• Check-in Data: Retained for historical analytics and progress tracking
• Payment Records: Retained for 7 years for tax and legal compliance
• Support Tickets: Retained for 2 years for service improvement

5. Your Privacy Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information via your account settings
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data
• Export: Download your check-in data and progress history
• Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing emails or disable notifications
• Restriction: Limit how we process your information
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@alwayslerning.com or use your account settings.

6. Data Security

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

• Encryption: All data transmitted via HTTPS/TLS encryption
• Password Security: Passwords hashed using bcrypt
• Database Security: Row-level security policies on our PostgreSQL database
• Access Controls: Limited employee access to personal data
• Regular Audits: Periodic security reviews and vulnerability assessments
• Payment Security: PCI-compliant payment processing through Stripe

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Essential Cookies: Required for authentication and security (cannot be disabled)
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings (theme, timezone, etc.)
• Analytics Cookies: Understand how you use our platform to improve services

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may limit functionality.

8. Third-Party Services

Our platform integrates with the following third-party services:

• Supabase: Provides authentication and database hosting. Privacy Policy
• Stripe: Processes payments securely. Privacy Policy
• Resend: Delivers transactional emails. Privacy Policy

These services have their own privacy policies and we encourage you to review them.

9. Children's Privacy

AlwaysLerning is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete such information promptly. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have different data protection laws. By using AlwaysLerning, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other countries where our service providers operate. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose
• Right to request deletion of your personal information
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your data)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise these rights, email privacy@alwayslerning.com with "CCPA Request" in the subject line.

12. GDPR Rights (European Users)

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right of access to your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right to withdraw consent at any time

Our legal basis for processing your data is your consent, contract performance, and our legitimate interests in providing and improving our services.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. For material changes, we will provide additional notice (such as an email notification). Your continued use of AlwaysLerning after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact Us

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