Website Privacy Policy

The goal of OctoStudio is to expand creative learning opportunities as part of our non-profit educational initiatives in the Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT Media Lab. As explained in our App Privacy Policy, we do not collect any personal or other data through our app nor do we display any advertising. We take the protection of your personal information on the website equally seriously and provide you with both access to and control over any information you send through our website.

OctoStudio (“OctoStudio”, “our”, “us”, or “we”) understands that your privacy is important and we are committed to protecting your privacy and data. We do not sell any of your data to third party services.

This privacy policy pertains to the OctoStudio website (octostudio.org) and affiliated project website (octoproject.org), if you are using the OctoStudio iOS or Android application, review the App Privacy Policy.

We collect information in the following ways, depending on your use of the website. Examples of information we may collect includes:

• Subscribing to OctoStudio communications — We keep this information for as long as you wish to hear from us. Should you decide to unsubscribe your personal information will be deleted within 30 days.

• Submitting feedback through our Feedback Form — Feedback is submitted anonymously and no personal information is retained. Your anonymous feedback may be retained indefinitely in order to improve our products and services.

• Direct communication – communication between you and an @octostudio.org email address will be deleted within 30 days of your request. Support requests are automatically deleted within a year of being closed.

We only use strictly necessary cookies that are crucial for the basic functioning of our website. These cookies do not track personally identifiable information. Specifically we only use these two cookies:

1. Language Selection Cookie

   • Purpose – Remembers your preferred language setting

   • Expiration – 2 weeks from creation

   • Necessary to remember your language preference

   • Cookie name - 'lc'

2. Cookie Banner Dismissal Cookie

   • Purpose – Remembers that you have dismissed the cookie consent banner

   • Expiration – 2 weeks from creation

   • Necessary to prevent repeated display of the cookie banner

   • Cookie name - 'dismissedCookieBanner'

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can choose to block or delete cookies through your web browser settings, but this may impact how the website functions.

The OctoStudio website integrates and links to several third party services that are operated by other entities and individuals. These services have their own privacy policy agreements. When clicking links to external websites, you are leaving OctoStudio and the third parties’ policies apply.

Third Party Services that we integrate and how we use them:

• Firebase for cloud hosting

  • Firebase Privacy Policy

• Storyblok for content management

  • Storyblok Privacy Policy

• FreshWorks FreshDesk for support knowledge base and direct email ticket management

  • Freshworks FreshDesk Privacy Policy

• Mailchimp for newsletter distribution

  • Mailchimp Privacy Policy

• Jotform for feedback gathering

  • Jotform Privacy Policy

• AirTable for storing feedback

  • AirTable Privacy Policy

• YouTube for embedded videos (Privacy-Enhanced Mode enabled at all times)

  • Google Privacy Policy

• Padlet for hosting projects

  • Padlet Privacy Policy

• Umami for website analytics (does not store any personal data or cookies)

  • Umami Privacy Policy

Third Party Services that we link to:

• Clicking the link to our videos which are hosted on YouTube

• Clicking the link to the our support content which is hosted on FreshDesk