Privacy Policy
Last updated: February 25th, 2025
Welcome to CodeCircle!
VGURU Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. CodeCircle.org is an education innovation dedicated to the vision that every student in every school has the opportunity to learn Coding. VGURU Foundation ("we", "us", and/or "our") operates the CodeCircle web applications & website and other related services (collectively, the "Services").
We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, store, use, and share information through our Services.
We care about the protection and confidentiality of your information. When you use the Apps, you may provide information during your conversations with your CodeCircle AI companion. We process this information only as described in this Privacy Policy, such as to allow you to have individualized and safe conversations and interactions with your AI companion and to allow your AI companion to learn from your interactions to improve your conversations.
Any terms we use in this Policy without defining them have the definitions given to them in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, please contact us at support@CodeCircle.org.
1. What information we collect
A. Information you provide
Through your use of the Services, you may provide us with the following information:
- Account information: This includes your name, email address, and password. If you choose to log in using another service, such as Google or Apple, we receive information about the service you used to log in and — depending on your chosen account settings with Google and Apple — details about you, including your name, email address, or unique user identifiers.
- Profile information: We ask you to provide your birth date, language, and bio when you register for the Apps.
- Messages and content: This includes the messages you send and receive through the Apps, such as facts you may provide about yourself or your life, and any photos, videos, and voice and text messages you provide.
- Interests and preferences: You may select conversation preferences, such as topics you would like to discuss, and communication preferences, such as the times of day you like to use the Apps. We also learn about your interests and your preferences over time through your use of the Services to personalize your conversations and the features of the Services.
- Payments, transactions, and rewards: When you make purchases through the Services, our third-party payment processor, Stripe, collects your payment information. We maintain a record of your purchases, the features you select, and the rewards you earn and use.
B. Information we collect automatically
We automatically log the following information about you, your computer or mobile device, your network, and your interactions over time with our Services and our communications:
- Device and network data: This includes your computer's or mobile device's operating system, manufacturer and model, browser, IP address, device and cookie identifiers, language settings, mobile device carrier, and general location information such as city, state, or geographic area.
- Usage data: This includes information about how you use the Services, such as your interactions with the Services, the links and buttons you click, and page visits.
- Face and head movement data: This includes the data collected by TrueDepth API to track the user's head and face, enabling users to control augmented reality experiences and selfie filters. None of the collected data leaves the user's device or is persistently stored.
We use cookies, web beacons (e.g., pixel tags), and local storage technologies (e.g., HTML5) to collect some of this information. Our advertising partners may also use such technologies to collect limited information about your device and interactions with the Services, but they will never have access to your conversations with your CodeCircle or any photos or other content you submit through the Apps.
2. How we use your information
A. Use of your information
We use your information for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Why and how we use your information | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Operating and administering the Services | Providing and maintaining the content and functionality of the Services. Carrying out obligations arising from our contract with you. Creating your account and profile. Facilitating payments and transactions. | Contractual necessity |
| Providing the core functionality | Providing you with a personalized AI companion and allowing you to personalize your profile, interests, and AI companion. | Contractual necessity |
| Monitoring and protecting | Preventing fraud, criminal activity, and misuse of our Services and ensuring the security of our IT systems. | Legitimate interests |
| Analyzing trends | Aggregating and analyzing the use and effectiveness of our Services. Improving and adding features. | Legitimate interests |
| Marketing and advertising | Sending you information by email that we believe will be of interest to you. Displaying and targeting advertisements about our Services. | Legitimate interests/Consent |
B. Sensitive information
In your conversations with your AI companion, you may choose to provide sensitive information about your religious views, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership. By providing sensitive information, you consent to our use of it for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. Note that we will never use your sensitive information – or any content of your CodeCircle conversations – for marketing or advertising.
3. How we share your information
A. Service providers
We share your information with companies that provide services on our behalf (such as hosting, IT, customer support, email delivery, and website analytics). We require these providers to agree to confidentiality terms and only use your information as we instruct.
B. Advertising partners
We share limited information about Website visitors (pages visited, IP address, browser type) with advertising companies for interest-based advertising. We will never share your CodeCircle conversations or any photos/content you provide within the Apps with advertisers.
C. Legal requirements
We may disclose information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with the law, protect our rights, or prevent harm.
D. Business transfers
If we're involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction.
4. How we secure your information
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:
- SSL encryption for data in transit
- Multi-layered security controls for stored data
- Regular security assessments and testing
- Role-based access controls
While we implement these protections, no system is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected users as required by law.
5. Your rights and choices
A. Access and control
Depending on your location, you may have rights to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate information
- Delete your personal information
- Restrict or object to certain processing
- Receive your data in a portable format
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
B. Marketing preferences
You can opt out of marketing communications by following unsubscribe instructions in our emails or by contacting us. You may still receive service-related communications.
C. Cookies and tracking
You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent tool. Some features may not work properly if you disable cookies.
6. International data transfers
Our Services are operated from the United States. If you're located outside the U.S., your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the U.S. where our servers are located.
7. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We'll notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on our website with an updated date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:
Email: support@CodeCircle.org
Address: VGURU Foundation, San Francisco, California, United States