Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 15, 2020

The privacy of individuals and organizations who use SoftChalk products is important to the partners, managers, and staff at SoftChalk LLC. This Privacy Policy applies to our content authoring platform SoftChalk Cloud (www.softchalkcloud.com), all instances of enterprise SoftChalk Cloud platforms, SoftChalk INSPIRE (inspire.softchalkcloud.com), our desktop authoring app, SoftChalk Create, and our corporate website (www.softchalk.com).

This Privacy Policy describes how SoftChalk collects and uses the personal data you provide in order to use our services. It also describes your choices regarding use, access and correction of your personal information. This policy governs information you provide to us, or we learn from your use of SoftChalk products and services.

For purposes of this document, the terms ‘SoftChalk’, ‘we’, and ‘us’ refers to SoftChalk LLC. SoftChalk offers a range of products, including our platform, SoftChalk Cloud (www.softchalkcloud.com), all instances of enterprise SoftChalk Cloud platforms, SoftChalk INSPIRE (inspire.softchalkcloud.com), our desktop authoring app, SoftChalk Create, and our corporate website (www.softchalk.com). We refer to all of these products together, along with other services we provide, as “Services” in this policy.

By using SoftChalk products, services, and websites, you consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the data practices described in this Privacy Policy, you should not use these products, services, or websites.

Where we provide our Services under contract with an organization (for example your employer or school), that organization controls the information processed by the Services. For more information, please see Notice to End Users below.

What this Privacy Policy Covers:

This Privacy Policy is intended to make you aware and help you understand:

What information we collect about individuals and organizations

We collect information about you when you provide it to us, when you use our Services, and when other sources provide it to us, as further described below.

Information you provide to us

SoftChalk collects information about individuals and organizations when you input it into the Services or otherwise provide it directly to us.

Account and Profile Information: We collect information about individuals when you register an account, create or modify your profile, set preferences, sign-up for or make purchases through the Services. For example, you provide your contact information and, in some cases, billing information when you register for the Services. You have the option of adding a display name, profile photo, job title, and other details to your profile information to be displayed in our Services. You also have the option of keeping this information private or making it public (e.g. allowing other users on the SoftChalk Cloud platform to see your personal information). We keep track of your preferences when you select settings within the Services.

Content you provide through our products: The Services include the SoftChalk Create and SoftChalk Cloud platforms, where we may collect and store content that you post, upload, and share. This content includes any information about you that you may choose to include. Examples of content we collect and store include: lesson content, files (graphics, videos, audio files), and links you upload to or save within the Service; metadata about the content you store within the service (title, description, keywords, education levels); the comments and ratings you post to content that you or other users on the platform own; and feedback you provide to us.

Content you provide through our corporate website: The Services also include our websites (www.softchalk.comwww.softchalkcloud.com, and inspire.softchalkcloud.com ) owned or operated by us. We may collect analytics data, or use third-party analytics tools, to help us measure traffic and usage and to understand the demographics of visitors to our websites. These tools collect information sent by your browser or mobile device, including the pages you visit, and other information that assists using analyzing and improving our Services. Other content that you submit to these websites, may include social media or social networking websites operated by us. For example, you provide content to us when you provide feedback or when you participate in any interactive features, surveys, contests, promotions, webinars, online training, activities or events.

Information you provide through our support channels: The Services also include our customer support, where you may choose to submit information regarding a problem you are experiencing with a Service. Whether you designate yourself as a technical contact, open a support ticket, speak to one of our representatives directly or otherwise engage with our support team, you will be asked to provide contact information, a summary of the problem you are experiencing, and any other documentation, screenshots or information that would be helpful in resolving the issue.

Payment Information: We collect certain payment and billing information when you register for certain paid Services. For example, we may ask you to designate a billing representative, including name and contact information, upon registration. You might also provide payment information, such as payment card details, which we collect via secure payment processing services.

Information we collect via technology when you use the Services

We collect information about you when you use our Services, including browsing our websites and taking certain actions within the Services.

Your use of the Services: We keep track of certain information about you when you visit and interact with any of our Services. This information includes the features you use; date of last login, the links you click on; the type, size and names of files you create and/or upload to the Services; frequently used search terms; and how you interact with others on the Services.

Device and Connection Information: We collect information about your computer, phone, tablet, or other devices you use to access the Services. This device information includes your connection type and settings when you install, access, update, or use our Services. We may also collect information through your device about your operating system, browser type, and IP address. This information is not personally identifiable information – you remain anonymous to us other than by association with a n internet protocol address.

Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies: SoftChalk and our third-party partners, such as our advertising and analytics partners, use cookies and other tracking technologies to provide functionality and to recognize you across different Services and devices. Certain of our Services require the use of Cookies (a small amount of data that is sent to your browser from a Web site’s computer an disc stored on your computer or device). We use cookies to record current session information in order to customize your experience. For example, cookies allow you to access and use the Services without re-entering your username and password; to determine whether an email has been opened and acted upon, and to provide functionality within the lesson content that you create using our Services.

Information we receive from other sources

We may receive information about you from other Service users, from third-party services, and from our business partners.

Other users of the Services: Other users of our Services may provide information about you when they submit content through the Services. For example, you may be mentioned in a support issue opened by someone else. Similarly, an administrator may provide your contact information when they designate you as the billing or technical contact on your organization’s account.

SoftChalk Partners: We work with a global network of partners who may provide consulting, implementation, training and other services around our products. Some of these partners also help us to market and promote our products, generate leads for us, and resell our products. We may receive information from these partners, such as billing information, billing and technical contact information, company name, what SoftChalk Services you have purchased or may be interested in, evaluation information you have provided, what events you have attended, and what country you are in.

Other Partners: We may receive information about you and your activities from third-party partners, such as advertising and market research partners who provide us with information about your interest in and engagement with, our Services and online advertisements.

How we use information we collect

How we use the information we collect depends in part on which Services you use and how you use them. We use the personal information we collect in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which they were intended to be used. Below are the specific purposes for which we use the information we collect about you.

To provide the Services and personalize your experience: We use information about you to provide the Services to you, including: to allow you to create your SoftChalk Cloud account; to facilitate purchase of your account; to process transactions with you; authenticate you when you log in; provide customer support; and operate, administer, and maintain the Services; to track and analyze site usage. In using the SoftChalk Cloud services, you may opt out of making your personally identifiable information viewable to other Service users by modifying the options in your SoftChalk Cloud profile.

To communicate with you about the Services: We use your contact information to send transactional communications via email and within the Services, including reminding you of subscription expirations, responding to your comments, questions and requests, providing customer support, and sending you technical notices, updates, security alerts, and administrative messages. We also send you communications as you onboard to our Cloud or Desktop services to help you become more proficient in using that Service.

To market, promote and drive engagement with the Services: We use your contact information and information about how you use the Services to send you email regarding promotional communications that may be of specific interest to you. These communications are aimed at driving engagement and maximizing what you get out of the Services, including information about new features, training opportunities, and other information or events we think may be of interest to you. We also communicate with you about new product offers, promotions and contests. All marketing communications provide you the option to “opt out” of receiving these emails.

Customer support: We use your information to resolve technical issues you encounter, and to respond to your requests for technical assistance.

To protect our legitimate business interests and legal rights: Where required by law or where we believe it is necessary to protect our legal rights, interests and the interests of others, we use information about you in connection with legal claims, compliance, regulatory, and audit functions, and disclosures in connection with the acquisition, merger or sale of a business.

With your consent: We use information about you where you have given us consent to do so for a specific purpose not listed above. For example, we may publish testimonials or featured customer stories to promote the Services, with your permission.

Legal bases for processing (for EEA users):

If you are an individual in the European Economic Area (EEA), we collect and process information about you only where we have legal bases for doing so under applicable EU laws. The legal bases depend on the Services you use and how you use them. This means we collect and use your information only where:

  • We need it to provide you the Services, including to operate the Services, provide customer support and personalized features and to protect the safety and security of the Services;
  • It satisfies a legitimate interest (which is not overridden by your data protection interests), such as to market and promote the Services and to protect our legal rights and interests;
  • You give us consent to do so for a specific purpose; or
  • We need to process your data to comply with a legal obligation.

If you have consented to our use of information about you for a specific purpose, you have the right to change your mind at any time, but this will not affect any processing that has already taken place.

How we share information we collect

The personal information you supply to SoftChalk will not be given, sold, rented, loaned, or otherwise disclosed to any third parties outside of SoftChalk and its agents, except when we have your permission or under special circumstances such as when we believe in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with legal processes or to protect the rights, property or personal safety of SoftChalk, its users, or the public.

Sharing with other Service users

When you use the Services, we share certain information about you with other Service users. For example, you can create content, which may contain information about you, and grant permission to others to see, share, edit, copy and download that content based on settings you or your administrator (if applicable) select. Some of the collaboration features of the Services display some or all of your profile information to other Service users when you share or interact with specific content. For example, when you comment on a Lesson page, we may display your profile picture and name with your content or your comments so that other users with access to this information understand your association to it. You can control the personally identifiable information that appears to others via the settings in your Profile page.

Enterprise Cloud and license administrators: If you register or access the Services from within an Enterprise SoftChalk Cloud instance, your email address and other account information including the content you create and your name, contact info and usage data become accessible to your organization’s Enterprise Cloud administrator. If you are an administrator for a particular site or group of users within the Services, we may share your contact information with current or past Service users, for the purpose of facilitating Service-related requests.

Sharing with third parties

Service Providers: We work with third-party service providers to provide website and application development, hosting, maintenance, backup, storage, virtual infrastructure, payment processing, analysis and other services for us, which may require them to access or use information about you. If a service provider needs to access information about you to perform services on our behalf, they do so under close instruction from us, including policies and procedures designed to protect your information.

SoftChalk Partners: We work with third parties who provide consulting, sales, and technical services to deliver and implement customer solutions around the Services. We may share your information with these third parties in connection with their services, such as to assist with billing and collections, to provide localized support, and to provide customizations. We may also share information with these third parties where you have agreed to that sharing.

How we store and secure information we collect

Information storage and security

We use data hosting service providers in the United States to host the information we collect, and we use technical measures to secure your data. While we implement safeguards designed to protect your information, no security system is impenetrable and due to the inherent nature of the Internet, we cannot guarantee that data, during transmission through the Internet or while stored on our systems or otherwise in our care, is absolutely safe from intrusion by others.

SoftChalk maintains reasonable administrative, technical and physical procedures to protect the information stored on our servers, which are located in the United States. Security safeguards may include but are not limited to data encryption, firewalls, and data use and access limitations.

How long we keep information

How long we keep information we collect about you depends on the type of information, as described in further detail below. After such time, we will either delete or anonymize your information or, if this is not possible (for example, because the information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your information and isolate it from any further use until deletion is possible.

Account information: We retain your account information for as long as your account is active and a reasonable period thereafter in case you decide to re-activate the Services. We also retain some of your information as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, to resolve disputes, to enforce our agreements, to support business operations, and to continue to develop and improve our Services.

Information you share on the Services: If your account is deactivated or disabled, some of your information and the content you have provided will remain in order to allow you or other Service users to make full use of the Services. For example, we continue to display lessons you created and shared with the community in SoftChalk’s OER repository.

Managed accounts: If the Services are made available to you through an organization (e.g., your employer), we retain your information as long as required by the administrator of your account.

Marketing information: If you have elected to receive marketing emails from us, we retain information about your marketing preferences for a reasonable period of time from the date you last expressed interest in our Services, such as when you last opened an email from us or ceased using your SoftChalk account. We retain information derived from cookies and other tracking technologies for a reasonable period of time from the date such information was created.

How to access and control your information

Below is a summary of your choices and options to control and access your personal information.

Your Choices:

Access and update your information: Our Services give you the ability to access and update certain information about you from within the Service. For example, you can access your profile information from your account. You can update your profile information within your profile settings and modify content that contains information about you using the editing tools associated with that content.

Deactivate your account: If you no longer wish to use our Services, you or your administrator may deactivate your Services account. Please be aware that deactivating your account does not delete your information. For more information on how to delete your information, see below.

Delete your information: Our Services give you the ability to delete certain information about you from within the Service. For example, you can remove content from your account and you can remove certain profile information within your profile settings. Please note, however, that we may need to retain certain information for record keeping purposes, to complete transactions or to comply with our legal obligations.

Opt out of communications: You may opt out of receiving promotional communications from us by using the unsubscribe link within each email. Even after you opt out from receiving promotional messages from us, you will continue to receive transactional messages from us regarding our Services.

Other important privacy information

Student data collected during the course of providing services to educational institutions

SoftChalk provides services to schools and other educational institutions. Through the provision of these Services, SoftChalk may collect personally identifiable information from or about students (“Student PII”). This Student PII is restricted to student first and last name and lesson score information. We consider such Student PII to be strictly confidential and do not use such data for any purpose other than providing our Services to the school or on the school’s behalf. Our collection, use and sharing of Student PII is governed by our contracts with the educational institutions, and in the U.S. by the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and applicable state laws, and by other state, federal, and international laws as applicable but not by the provisions contained in this privacy policy.

Our policy towards children

The Services are not directed to individuals under the age of 13 unless and until a school or educational institution has provided appropriate consent and authorization for a student under 14 to use the Services and for SoftChalk to collect information from such student. If you become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact our support services.

Changes to our Privacy Policy

We may change this privacy policy from time to time. We will post any privacy policy changes on this page and, if the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice by adding a notice on the Services homepages, login screens, or by sending you an email notification. We encourage you to review our privacy policy whenever you use the Services to stay informed about our information practices and the ways you can help protect your privacy.

If you disagree with any changes to this privacy policy, you will need to stop using the Services and deactivate your account(s), as outlined above.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, the information we collect from you, or the Services, please contact our support team at help@softchalk.com or write to:

Director of Operations
SoftChalk LLC
1000 Central Pkwy N #269
San Antonio, TX 78232
USA

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