Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

StudyBuddy ("we," "our," or "us") is a mobile and web application developed by VaultIQ Inc. that provides students with an enhanced interface for viewing their Schoology grades and academic information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service.

Important: StudyBuddy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Schoology or PowerSchool. The Service is intended for use by schools and students in the United States.

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

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information From Schoology

When you sign in with Schoology, your academic data is retrieved and shown on your device. When you view your grades, this data is not stored or retained — it is used only to display your grades and assignments. (If you turn on notifications, a limited exception applies; see Section 2.4.) The data retrieved includes:

• Your name and email address
• Your enrolled courses and sections
• Your grades, assignments, and grading categories
• Assignment names, due dates, and last updated timestamps
• Course titles, section information, and course codes

2.2 Technical Information

We automatically collect certain technical information:

• Device type and operating system
• IP address (for security and debugging purposes)
• A session token used to keep you signed in
• Error logs (which may include minimal request details but are configured to avoid storing full grade data)

2.3 What We Do NOT Collect

We explicitly do NOT collect, access, or store:

• Your Schoology username or password
• Payment or financial information
• Social Security numbers or government IDs
• Messages, communications, or forum posts
• Personal information beyond what's necessary for grade display
• Information about other users or students

2.4 Push Notifications (Optional)

If you turn on notifications in the StudyBuddy mobile app, we additionally process:

• Device Push Token: An identifier provided by your device so we can deliver notifications. We keep it only while notifications are enabled and remove it when you turn them off or sign out.
• Grade-Change Alerts: With your permission, we check for changes to your grades in the background so we can notify you. We process only the limited information needed to detect a change and do not store your grades.

Notifications are optional. You can turn them off at any time in your device settings or by signing out.

2.5 Analytics & Cookies

We use a third-party analytics provider to understand how StudyBuddy is used — for example, how many people use the web app versus the mobile app and which features are most popular. This analytics data is aggregate, is not used to personally identify you, and never includes your grades or assignments.

To support analytics and to keep you signed in, we and our analytics provider use cookies and similar technologies (such as local storage on your device). You can control or clear these through your browser or device settings; disabling them may affect some functionality, such as staying signed in.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect solely for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: To display your grades, courses, and assignments in our interface
• Grade Calculations: To perform "What-If" grade scenarios based on hypothetical assignments
• Calendar Features: To show assignment due dates in our calendar view
• Session Management: To maintain your authenticated session during use
• Notifications (Optional): If you enable them, to check for grade changes and send you push notifications
• Technical Support: To diagnose and fix technical issues

4. Data Storage and Security

4.1 Temporary Storage

We do not store your grade data in any database.Your Schoology data is fetched on demand, shown on your device, and is not retained. Your information is handled as follows:

• Session Tokens: Used only to keep you signed in. They expire automatically and are deleted when you log out.
• Grade Data: Not stored — fetched from Schoology and shown on your device. The optional notifications feature processes only what's needed to detect changes and does not store your grades; see Section 2.4.
• Notification Data: If you enable notifications, we keep your device push token to deliver them and remove it when you turn notifications off or log out.
• Device Storage: Your authentication state is stored locally on your device and can be cleared at any time by logging out
• What-If Calculations: Stored only on your device; never sent to our servers

Technical Logs: We may keep limited technical logs (such as IP addresses and error messages) for a limited period for debugging and security purposes. These logs are configured to avoid storing grade data whenever possible.

4.2 Security Measures

We implement industry-standard security measures:

• OAuth Authentication: We never see or store your Schoology password
• HTTPS Encryption: All data transmission is encrypted via SSL/TLS
• Session Security: Your session expires automatically and is never written to a permanent database
• No Long-Term Databases: We do not maintain databases of student grade information
• Secure Hosting: Our systems run on reputable cloud infrastructure with industry-standard physical and network security

While we implement reasonable security measures, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your information.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do NOT sell, trade, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

We may share information only in the following limited circumstances:

• With Schoology: Authentication and data retrieval via their official API
• Service Providers: We use third-party hosting and infrastructure providers to operate the Service. They process data only as needed to run and secure the application and do not use your academic data for their own purposes.
• Legal Requirements: If required by law, court order, or government regulation
• Safety and Security: To protect the rights, property, or safety of StudyBuddy, our users, or others

6. Your Privacy Rights

6.1 California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights:

• Right to Know: Request disclosure of personal information we collect
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of your personal information
• Right to Opt-Out: We do not sell personal information, so no opt-out is necessary
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights

6.2 All Users

All users have the right to:

• Access Your Data: All your data is visible within the application
• Delete Your Data: Log out to immediately end your session and clear temporary data
• Revoke Access: Disconnect StudyBuddy from your Schoology account through Schoology's settings

To exercise these rights, contact us at our contact page.

7. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

StudyBuddy is designed for use by students with existing Schoology accounts, which are managed by educational institutions. We rely on schools to obtain appropriate parental consent as required by COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act) and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without proper school authorization and parental consent. If you believe we have collected information from a child without proper authorization, please contact us immediately.

8. Third-Party Services

Our Service integrates with:

• Schoology: For authentication and grade data retrieval. Schoology's privacy policy governs their data practices.
• Analytics Provider: We use a third-party analytics service to collect aggregate, non-identifying usage statistics (such as feature usage and web-versus-mobile counts). It does not receive your grades or assignment data.
• Hosting & Infrastructure Providers: We use third-party cloud providers to host and secure the Service. They may process limited technical request data, such as IP address, request metadata, and performance information, as needed to operate and protect the Service.
• Error & Crash Monitoring: We use a third-party diagnostics service to collect crash reports, error logs, and limited technical information so we can monitor stability and fix bugs. It does not receive your grades or assignment data, except where incidental technical metadata may appear in error reports.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services. We recommend reviewing their privacy policies.

9. Data Retention

We retain your information only as long as necessary:

• Session Data: Kept only while your session is active; it expires automatically or is deleted when you log out
• Grade Data: Not stored. If you enable notifications, we process only the limited information needed to detect changes — never your actual grades
• Notification Push Token: Kept while notifications are enabled; removed when you turn them off or log out
• Technical Logs: Kept for a limited period for debugging and security purposes

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes:

• We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
• Material changes will be prominently announced on our Service
• Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

11. Contact Us

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

We will respond to your inquiries within 30 days.