Privacy Policy

Information we collect

• Account and profile information: your email address and profile details, such as your first name, last name and educator display name. School sign-in also provides identifiers linking your account to your institution and learning management system (LMS), with names and email addresses when supplied.
• Classroom information: classes, assignments, enrollment, roles, participation, opinion responses, transcripts, grades, feedback and optional peer praise. Information may come from you, your educator or a connected LMS.
• Live discussions and recordings: we process live audio and video to connect discussion participants. Soapbox records discussion audio for transcription; it does not record discussion video.
• Communications: information you provide through inquiries, support requests, product feedback and privacy requests.
• Technical and usage information: IP addresses, browser and device information, activity timestamps, feature use, performance measurements and error reports used to operate and protect the service. Where diagnostic replay is enabled, we also collect selected interface interactions with privacy masking applied.

How we use information

We use information to manage accounts and classrooms, pair students, run discussions, create transcripts, provide feedback, deliver service communications and respond to requests. We also use it to protect accounts, prevent misuse and improve service reliability.

AI services analyze discussion transcripts against assignment criteria to generate scores and feedback. Educators can review and adjust grades and control when results are released. When LMS grade delivery is enabled, we return grades and the student and course identifiers needed to associate them with the correct records. We do not sell personal information.

For internal quality review, we use copies of transcripts and AI analyses to assess evaluation quality and investigate problems. We remove known names and recognizable contact details from transcript text used for this review and continue to treat these copies as personal information. Review records also include classroom context to support investigation and follow-up. You can choose to submit product feedback anonymously. Contact information is included for follow-up only for feedback submitted with your identity.

Students and institutions

For school-sponsored use, we work with institutions and authorized educators to support their educational activities and applicable record-handling requirements. Educators can access their students’ discussion records, transcripts, grades and submitted peer praise. Students receive their own AI feedback and grades according to the educator’s release settings. Optional peer praise is shared by name with the receiving discussion partner and classroom educator.

For discussion coordination, your classroom email address is shared with your currently matched, activated discussion partner after they complete the assignment’s initial check-in. It is available until the discussion ends or the assignment window closes, provided both students remain enrolled and have access to the class.

Some students may be minors. Institutions, students and parents or guardians can contact us about applicable permissions and privacy requests. We verify a representative’s authority before providing access to another person’s information.

Service providers and data location

We share information with third-party service providers as needed for hosting, account authentication, live communications, transcription, AI evaluation, email delivery, analytics and internal review storage. These providers process information to support the purposes described in this policy. We may also disclose information when required by law or to protect people and the security of the service.

We store account and classroom records in the United States. Depending on where you live, this may involve transferring information outside your country, where different laws and lawful government access requirements may apply. If your institution has specific data residency requirements, we can work with you to arrange storage that meets those agreed requirements.

Analytics and diagnostics

We use cookies and similar browser storage for sign-in and, where enabled, product analytics. Analytics use pseudonymous identifiers to understand feature use and diagnose problems. Diagnostic replay uses masking and exclusions to protect personal and classroom content; it does not record discussion audio or video. Replay is configured for 30-day retention. Browser settings can restrict cookies and storage, though doing so may affect sign-in and other functionality.

How long we keep information

We collect and store only the information needed for the platform to function as expected, support our users, protect the service and meet applicable institutional and legal requirements. We keep information only for as long as those purposes require. Institutional retention policies guide scheduled deletion of eligible academic records. Records needed for an access request, academic review or legal obligation are preserved for that purpose.

After transcription is saved, automated cleanup removes source audio from Soapbox storage, with retries where needed. Transcripts, AI results and service-provider copies have separate retention arrangements. Closing an account ends access but does not automatically delete required academic records. Account information and records specific to you remain subject to applicable retention rules; requesting deletion alongside closure may allow earlier removal of eligible information where those rules permit. Deletion requests account for shared records, preservation requirements and copies held by service providers or in backups. Institutions manage copies retained in their own systems.

How we protect information

We use access controls, protected connections and restricted recording storage to safeguard personal information. Classroom access follows users’ roles and relationships to the relevant records. We record important administrative and privacy-request actions to support accountability. We coordinate with affected institutions on privacy incidents and provide notifications as required by applicable law and agreements.

Your rights

You can request access to your records, account closure or deletion of your information by contacting us at the email address below, including if you no longer have account access. We provide available records about you while protecting other people’s information.

To request a correction, contact us and explain what is inaccurate and the correction you want. We verify requests and work with your institution where academic records or institutional responsibilities are involved. Applicable law and institutional obligations may require some records to be retained. Contact us about withdrawing consent where processing depends on consent, or to raise a privacy concern or complaint.

Policy updates and contact

We update this policy as our practices evolve and provide notice of material changes as required by applicable law or institutional agreements. The date above identifies the latest revision.

Questions about this policy, your information or a privacy request? Contact Soapbox at jesse@trysoapboxdebate.com.