Privacy Policy

Introduction

Story Writing Lab, operated by Wise Owl Solutions LLC (“we,” “us,” or “our”), is committed to protecting your privacy when you use our creative writing game at https://storywritinglab.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information. By using our services, you agree to this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our services.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information from our users:

1.1 Personal Information

For teachers: We collect the following personal information from you:

• Name, email, school affiliation, and payment information (processed securely by third-party providers; not stored on our servers).
• This information personalizes your experience, facilitates communication, and processes payments.

For students (Players):

• We collect limited personal information necessary to provide our educational services, including student first name and class affiliation to identify students and associate them with specific games/classes.
• Student-submitted text entered during gameplay.
• We do not collect other personal identifiers such as email addresses or phone numbers for students, in compliance with COPPA, FERPA, and applicable educational privacy laws.

1.2 Non-Personal Data

• Technical data such as IP address, browser type, device information, and usage patterns collected via cookies or similar technologies to improve service quality and security.
• We use Google Analytics to collect anonymized usage data to understand how users interact with our service. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking via the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
  

1.3 Game Data

Data related to games played, player participation, submissions, and custom challenges. This data, including student-generated texts, is considered educational records and handled in accordance with FERPA.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To provide and improve our creative writing game services.
• To personalize user experience and communicate important updates or notifications.
• To process payments securely via trusted third-party processors.
• To comply with legal obligations and protect the rights and safety of users and Story Writing Lab.
• To conduct research and development using aggregated and anonymized data.

3. Data Sharing and Disclosure

• We do not sell or rent your personal information.
• We share data only with trusted third-party service providers (e.g., hosting, payment processors) who are contractually obligated to protect your data.
• We may disclose information when required by law or to protect rights and safety.

4. Data Security

• We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, or destruction.
• This includes encryption, access controls, and regular security updates.
• We restrict access to personal data to authorized personnel only.

5. Your Rights and Choices

• Teachers may access, update, or delete their personal information by contacting us.
• Parents and guardians may request access to, correction of, or deletion of their child’s personal information through the child’s school or directly contacting us.
• You may withdraw consent or object to certain data processing, noting this may limit some service functionality.

6. Compliance with COPPA and FERPA

• For students under 13, we rely on teacher/school-provided consent for data collection used solely for educational purposes.
• We comply fully with FERPA, acting as a “school official” under the direction of educational institutions, using student data only to provide educational services.
• Student data is not used for advertising or profiling.

7. International Data Transfers

• All data is stored and processed in the United States. By using our services, you consent to this transfer.

8. Our Commitments

• No Selling or Sharing for Marketing: We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing or advertising purposes.
• No Personalized Advertising or Profiling: We do not create data profiles or display personalized ads based on your information.
• Student Data Protection: Student data is used solely to provide and improve educational services as directed by teachers/parents/schools and is never used for commercial purposes.
• Transparency and Accountability: We are committed to transparent data practices and will notify you promptly of any significant changes to our privacy policies or data practices.
• Responsible Data Handling: We maintain strict policies and security measures to protect your information and comply with all applicable laws.

9. Parents and Guardians

We collect only minimal information to allow teachers to distinguish students in their classes, such as name and class association. We do not collect other personally identifying information from students.

Parents or guardians may contact us at any time to:

• Request to view the personal information provided by their child.
• Request deletion or cessation of data collection related to their child.
  We will require verifiable proof of the parent or guardian relationship before fulfilling such requests to protect privacy.
  There is no direct public access to personal student information. While some game content may be shared via unique URLs, student names are only visible to game participants and are anonymized for others.

10. GDPR Compliance Notice

We respect and support the data protection rights of all users under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

• We collect only the minimum personal data necessary to provide our services, especially for children.
• Personal data such as names and email addresses are used to secure accounts, communicate with users, and facilitate educational interactions.
• Users may request access to, correction of, or deletion of their personal data at any time by contacting us.
• Users may withdraw consent to data processing, understanding that this may limit their use of our services.
• If you have concerns about data privacy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with us or your local supervisory authority.

11. Updates to This Privacy Policy

• We may update this policy periodically. Significant changes will be communicated via email or prominent notices. Continued use after changes means acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at storywritinglab@gmail.com

This Privacy Policy shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Texas, United States.