Privacy Policy

1. Introduction and Scope

Equivly LLC ("Equivly," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use our educational platform and services.

This policy applies to all interactions with our websites (courses-website-virid.vercel.app and college-courses-jade.vercel.app), mobile applications, and related services (collectively, the "Services").

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

2. Information We Collect

Personal Information You Provide

We collect information that you voluntarily provide when you:

• Create an Account: Name, email address, password, university/college, major, graduation date, year in school
• Use Our Services: Academic goals, course preferences, transfer credit plans, degree requirements
• Contact Us: Name, email, phone number, inquiry details, support requests
• Participate in Surveys: Feedback, opinions, demographic information, academic experiences
• Apply for Financial Aid Information: Academic status, enrollment verification, financial need indicators

Academic and Educational Information

To provide our core services, we collect and process:

• University and college enrollment status
• Academic transcripts and course history (when provided)
• Degree requirements and academic plans
• Course search history and preferences
• Transfer credit applications and outcomes
• GPA and academic performance indicators (when relevant to our services)
• Advisor communications and academic guidance sessions

Automatically Collected Information

When you use our Services, we automatically collect:

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent, click patterns, search queries
• Device Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, device identifiers, mobile network information
• Location Data: General geographic location based on IP address (not precise location)
• Technical Data: Log files, error reports, performance data, API usage
• Analytics Data: User behavior patterns, feature utilization, conversion rates

Third-Party Information

We may receive information about you from:

• Educational Partners: Course catalogs, transfer agreements, enrollment data
• Authentication Services: Google OAuth, social media login information
• Payment Processors: Transaction details (for any future paid services)
• Analytics Providers: Website usage statistics, user behavior insights

3. How We Use Your Information

Core Service Provision

• Match you with relevant community college courses
• Verify transfer credit eligibility and articulation agreements
• Provide personalized academic planning and degree audit services
• Calculate potential cost savings and create financial projections
• Generate course recommendations based on your academic goals
• Facilitate connections with partner educational institutions

Communication and Support

• Send account-related notifications and service updates
• Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
• Share educational content and course opportunities
• Send newsletters and marketing communications (with consent)
• Conduct surveys and gather feedback on our services

Platform Improvement and Analytics

• Analyze usage patterns to improve our services and user experience
• Develop new features and enhance existing functionality
• Conduct research on educational trends and transfer credit outcomes
• Create aggregated, anonymized statistics for internal use and partner reporting
• Optimize our platform performance and technical infrastructure

Legal and Compliance

• Comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Protect against fraud, unauthorized access, and security threats
• Enforce our Terms of Service and other policies
• Respond to legal requests and prevent illegal activity
• Maintain records for business and legal purposes

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

Educational Institution Partners

We may share relevant information with our partner community colleges and universities to:

• Facilitate course enrollment and credit transfer processes
• Verify student eligibility and academic standing
• Provide personalized course recommendations
• Generate aggregated reports on transfer success rates (anonymized)

Service Providers and Vendors

We work with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in:

• Technology Services: Cloud hosting, data storage, analytics, security monitoring
• Communication Services: Email delivery, customer support platforms, notification systems
• Analytics and Marketing: Website analytics, user behavior tracking, marketing automation
• Professional Services: Legal counsel, accounting, business consulting

All service providers are bound by strict confidentiality agreements and are only authorized to use your information as necessary to provide services to us.

Legal Requirements and Safety

We may disclose your information when required by law or when we believe disclosure is necessary to:

• Comply with legal obligations, court orders, or government requests
• Protect the rights, property, or safety of Equivly, our users, or the public
• Investigate potential violations of our Terms of Service
• Prevent fraud, security threats, or illegal activity
• Respond to emergencies involving immediate threats to personal safety

Business Transactions

In the event of a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, or sale of all or part of our assets, your information may be transferred to the successor entity. We will notify you via email and/or prominent notice on our website of any change in ownership or control of your information.

Aggregated and Anonymized Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized information that cannot be used to identify individual users for research, marketing, and business development purposes. This includes statistical data about transfer success rates, popular courses, and educational trends.

5. Data Security and Protection

Security Measures

We implement comprehensive security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: All data transmission uses industry-standard SSL/TLS encryption
• Access Controls: Role-based access with multi-factor authentication for employees
• Data Storage: Secure cloud infrastructure with regular backups and disaster recovery
• Monitoring: 24/7 security monitoring and intrusion detection systems
• Regular Audits: Quarterly security assessments and vulnerability testing
• Employee Training: Regular security awareness training for all staff members

Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide our services and fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Specifically:

• Account Information: Retained until you delete your account or request deletion
• Academic Data: Retained for 7 years after account closure for transfer verification purposes
• Usage Analytics: Aggregated data retained indefinitely; individual data deleted after 2 years
• Communication Records: Retained for 3 years for quality assurance and legal purposes
• Legal Hold Data: Retained as required by applicable laws and regulations

Data Breach Response

In the unlikely event of a data breach, we will notify affected users within 72 hours and provide detailed information about the incident, its impact, and the steps we're taking to address it. We maintain cyber liability insurance and have established incident response procedures.

6. Your Privacy Rights and Choices

Access and Control

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: Request a copy of all personal information we have about you
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated personal information
• Portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
• Objection: Object to certain uses of your information, including marketing communications
• Restriction: Request that we limit how we use your information

Communication Preferences

You can control communications from us by:

• Updating your email preferences in your account settings
• Clicking "unsubscribe" links in our emails
• Contacting us directly to opt out of specific communications
• Choosing which types of notifications you want to receive

Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience. You can control cookies through your browser settings:

• Essential Cookies: Required for basic platform functionality (cannot be disabled)
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how you use our services (can be disabled)
• Marketing Cookies: Used for targeted advertising and recommendations (can be disabled)
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and personalization choices

Making Rights Requests

To exercise any of these rights, you can:

• Use the privacy controls in your account settings
• Contact us at privacy@equivly.com
• Submit a request through our website contact form
• Mail us at our business address (available upon request)

We will respond to all requests within 30 days and may require identity verification to protect your information.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use various technologies to collect information automatically when you use our Services:

Types of Technologies Used

• Cookies: Small text files stored on your device to remember preferences and improve functionality
• Web Beacons: Small electronic files that help us count users and understand usage patterns
• Local Storage: Browser storage used to maintain session information and user preferences
• Analytics Tools: Google Analytics and similar services to understand user behavior
• Social Media Pixels: Tracking pixels from social platforms for advertising and analytics

Managing Tracking Preferences

Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our Services.

We also respect "Do Not Track" signals when technically feasible and will provide opt-out mechanisms for targeted advertising.

8. International Data Transfers

Our services are primarily designed for users in the United States. If you access our Services from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located and our central database is operated.

The United States may have different data protection laws than your country of residence. By using our Services, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and our use and disclosure of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

For users in the European Union or United Kingdom, we ensure adequate protection of your data through appropriate safeguards, including standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission.

9. Children's Privacy

Our Services are not intended for children under 13 years of age, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete that information immediately.

For users between 13 and 18 years of age, we recommend parental involvement in the account creation and platform usage. Parents and guardians can contact us to review, modify, or delete their minor child's information.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us immediately at privacy@equivly.com.

10. State-Specific Privacy Rights

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

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

• Right to know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell
• Right to delete personal information we have collected about you
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (Note: We do not sell personal information)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights
• Right to correct inaccurate personal information
• Right to limit use of sensitive personal information

Other State Privacy Laws

We also comply with privacy laws in Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), Connecticut (CTDPA), and other states as applicable. Residents of these states may have similar rights to access, delete, correct, and port their personal information.

Exercising State Privacy Rights

To exercise your state privacy rights, please contact us at privacy@equivly.com or use our online privacy request form. We will verify your identity and respond within the timeframes required by applicable law.

11. Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will:

• Post the updated Privacy Policy on our website
• Send email notification to registered users about significant changes
• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document
• Provide at least 30 days' advance notice for material changes that affect how we use your information
• For material changes, obtain your consent where required by law

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about our privacy practices. Your continued use of our Services after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

12. Contact Us

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