Privacy Policy

Last Updated: July 30, 2020

Edutopia (“Edutopia,” “we,” or “us”), produced by the George Lucas Educational Foundation is dedicated to transforming K-12 education so that all students can acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives. We provide this Privacy Policy to share how we collect, use, and disclose personal information in connection with our websites, online accounts, newsletters, and other online services and products (collectively, the “Services”) that we provide for teachers, administrators, policy makers, parents, students over the age of 13, and other interested adults (collectively “you”). In some cases, Edutopia content, media, and other products and services may be integrated into websites and mobile applications provided by third parties (including social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), and this Policy also applies to information that we collect through those channels. By using the Services, you consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use.  

1. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide

We receive personal information you provide to use the Services. “Personal information” means information you provide us or information we collect from you that could be used to personally identify you. To be clear, while we do not necessarily collect all of the following types of information, we consider at least the following to be “personal information” if it is otherwise nonpublic and can be used to identify you:

• For email account holders and newsletter subscribers, we may prompt for and store your email address and a password to be used to establish account settings and content subscriptions.
• For those who optionally choose to sign up for an account using credentials from a service like Facebook or Google, we receive from the service your email address, name, and picture. We store the email address but do not store the name or picture.
• Account holders may opt to provide information about content preferences or content of interest, including newsletter subscriptions and topics of interest such as “Elementary,” “Grades 6-8,” or “Grades 9-12.” We store these preferences and may use the information to personalize your Edutopia services.

B. Information Automatically Collected
We also collect certain information automatically when you engage with the Services (“Usage information”). This information includes the following: 

• Your browser type and operating system
• Your internet protocol (IP) address, which is the number automatically assigned to your computer whenever you access the internet and that can be used to derive your general geographic location
• Sites you visited before and after using the Services
• Pages you view and links you click within the Services
• Information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other technologies
• Information about your engagement with e-mail messages, such as the links you click and whether you open or forward the messages
• Standard server log information

We may use cookies, pixel tags, and other technologies to automatically collect Usage Information. Cookies are small bits of information stored on your device.  How you configure your browser settings determines if and how cookies are accepted by your device. If your browser settings reject cookies, you may not be able to use certain online products, services, or features of the Services. Note that cookie data can be read by browser extensions. For browsers in mobile applications, the mobile app may be able to read cookie data as well. Cookie data is transmitted securely as part of every request to and from the server.  

Edutopia uses cookies to temporarily store data during account registration and online sessions. This information includes your account settings, such as email address; account identifier; information passed on by your chosen log-in identity provider; subscription status; and content preferences, such as an interest in “Elementary” content. Sometimes, Edutopia may offer an online pop-up prompt to promote a sign up, and we use a cookie to keep track of whether you have turned off this option. Edutopia cookies expire after 30 days.

Pixel tags, web beacons, or clear GIFs are very small images or small pieces of data embedded in images. These help us understand how users engage with us, for example, by recognizing cookies, providing the time and date a page is viewed, offering a description of the page where the pixel tag is placed, and generating similar information from your computer or device. Edutopia may use pixel tags to determine if email messages have been opened.

2. Use of Information

We use information we collect through the Services for a variety of purposes, such as the following: 

• Providing you with requested products, services, newsletters, information, and promotions
• Customizing and personalizing your use of the Services
• Contacting you via email and otherwise about products, services, and events we think might be of interest to you and responding to your communications to us
• Contacting you with surveys, legal notices, and other information related to your use of the Services
• Maintaining or administering the Services, performing charitable or business analyses, or improving our products and services
• Publishing stories, comments, and other information posted in our interactive online features
• Creating articles and other content
• Processing employment applications and inquiries
• Detecting, investigating, and preventing activities that may violate our policies or may be fraudulent or illegal
• Fulfilling other purposes as otherwise described to you at the point of collection or pursuant to your consent

3. Sharing of Information

We do not share your personal information with third parties without your consent, except in the following circumstances or as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy:

• With service providers. We share your information with our service providers that perform certain functions or services on our behalf, such as to host the Services, manage databases, perform analyses, create and display video content, conduct surveys, place Edutopia-branded content on third-party websites and platforms, and send communications and newsletters for us. Edutopia uses five types of services: content, performance and reliability, identity, advertising, and analytics. Content services are used to embed and share content such as videos or social posts within the Services. Performance and reliability services are used to monitor the Edutopia system reliability and uptime. Identity services are used to identify, authenticate, and validate site visitors using account and subscription services. Advertising may be used to identify and guide campaigns to offer our subscriptions to prospective subscribers. Analytics are used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns by Edutopia users to aid in our effective decision-making. Some of our current service providers and links to their privacy policies are listed below. We are a non-profit with a small staff, and we will periodically update this list but it may not be current.

Service Providers–Content

Adobe–Privacy
Edutopia uses Adobe Typekit web fonts.

Infogram–Privacy
Edutopia uses Infogram to embed charts and graphs into certain content.
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Google YouTube–Privacy, Terms, Cookies
Edutopia uses the YouTube embedded player to display videos within web pages.

Twitter Embed–Cookies
Edutopia uses Twitter to embed Twitter posts within certain content.

Vimeo–Cookies
Edutopia uses Vimeo embeds to share certain video content.

Service Providers–Performance and Reliability

Amazon Web Services–Cookies
Portions of Edutopia.org are hosted by Amazon Web Services.

Datadog–Cookies
Edutopia uses Datadog to monitor system usage and workloads and to determine if systems are operating correctly.

New Relic–Cookies
Edutopia uses New Relic to monitor system usage and workloads and to determine if systems are operating correctly.

PM2–Privacy
Edutopia uses PM2 to monitor system usage and balance workloads across CPU cores.

Twilio SendGrid–Privacy
Edutopia uses SendGrid, an email service provider, to improve deliverability of our newsletter and provide emails to account holders and subscribers.

SolarWinds Pingdom–Privacy, Cookies
Edutopia uses Pingdom to monitor site uptime and real-time user performance including page load timings.

Service Providers–Identity

Amazon Web Services Cognito–Cookies
Edutopia uses AWS Cognito to implement authentication of email-based accounts.

Facebook Accounts–Policies
Edutopia allows users to optionally sign up for an account or sign in using a Facebook account.

Google Accounts–Privacy, Terms, Cookies
Edutopia allows users to sign up or sign in to Edutopia accounts via Google Accounts. Users may choose to use Google as the service for authenticating their Edutopia accounts.

Google ReCaptcha–Privacy, Terms
Edutopia uses Google reCaptcha to protect our email newsletter and account registration forms from spam and abuse.

Service Providers–Advertising

Facebook Pixel–Policies
Edutopia uses Facebook Pixel to measure cross site conversions, create custom audiences from website visitors, and customize advertising on Facebook.

Workable–Privacy
Edutopia uses Workable to source, review, manage and retain information about candidates for job recruitment.

Service Providers–Analytics

Google Analytics–Privacy, Terms, Cookies, Analytics
Edutopia uses Google Analytics to monitor website traffic and usage and to aggregate website behavior patterns.

• To comply with the law. We use your personal information as we believe necessary or appropriate to comply with applicable laws, lawful requests, and legal process, such as to respond to subpoenas or requests from government authorities.
• For compliance, fraud prevention, and safety. We may use your personal information and disclose it to law enforcement, government authorities, and private parties as we believe necessary or appropriate to: (a) protect our, your, or others’ rights, privacy, safety, or property (including by making and defending legal claims); (b) enforce the terms and conditions that govern the Services; and (c) protect, investigate, and deter against fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, unethical, or illegal activity.
• With your consent or affirmative actions. We share information about you when you consent or take affirmative steps to provide such information, as when you post information to a user profile or a public area of the Services, such as a forum, blog, or other community tool, or within our social media presence.

4. Social Networking Services

Certain social media providers offer you Edutopia content through their platforms. For example, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others may allow you to share Edutopia content. These social networking services may be able to collect information about you, including your activity on our Services. If you choose to access or make use of social networking services, we may receive information about you that you have made available to those social networking services. You can find the Instagram privacy policy here.  

If you choose to connect to the Services via a third-party platform or social media network, you may have the ability to limit the information we may obtain from the third party at the time you connect your third-party account to the Services. Subsequently, you may be able to control your settings through the third-party platform. If you withdraw our ability to access certain information from a third-party platform or social media network, that choice will not apply to information we have already received from that third party.

5. Links to Other Sites and Services

The Services contain links to other websites or online services that are operated and maintained by outside entities and that are not under the control of or maintained by Edutopia. Such links do not constitute an endorsement by Edutopia of those other websites, the content displayed therein, or the persons or entities associated therewith. This Privacy Policy does not apply to this outside content. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of other websites or services.

6. Analytics

Service providers we use may place and read their own cookies and web beacons or use local storage in the browser and other technologies to collect information through the Services. For example, our vendors may use these technologies to collect information that (a) helps us with traffic measurement, research, and analytics and (b) is used to market on our Services and across the internet and on other apps tailored to your apparent interests. The information collected and stored by outside entities remains subject to their policies and practices, including whether they continue to share information with us, the types of information shared, and your choices of what is visible to others on third party services. We have provided links to the privacy policies of a number of third parties in this Policy.

As mentioned in the above service-provider list, we use Google Analytics. Google Analytics uses cookies and other tracking technologies to help us analyze how users interact with and use the website, compile reports on the website’s activity, and provide other services related to website activity and usage. The technologies used by Google may collect information, such as your IP address, time of visit, whether you are a return visitor, and any referring website. The information generated by Google Analytics will be transmitted to and stored by Google and will be subject to Google’s privacy policies. If you wish to exercise your rights regarding Google Analytics visit https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout or download the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Some web browsers may transmit “do not track” signals to the websites with which the user communicates. Because there currently is no industry standard concerning what, if anything, websites should do when they receive such signals, Edutopia currently does not take action in response to these signals. For more information on “do-not-track,” visit http://www.allaboutdnt.com.

7. Communications Preferences

If you signed up for a subscription or account, you may receive email or online communications to support your subscription or account. You may unsubscribe from newsletter subscriptions by using unsubscribe links in the messages you receive. If you signed up for an account and wish to delete the account, you can do this online by signing in and then clicking the link for the settings page: https://www.edutopia.org/account/settings

8. Children's Privacy

We do not knowingly collect, use, or disclose personal information from children under the age of 13.  If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have collected information from your child under the age of 13, please email us at PRIVACY-NOTICES at EDUTOPIA (dot) ORG.

9. Data Security

We strive to implement reasonable and appropriate security procedures to help avoid loss, misuse, or unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration or destruction of personal information. Examples of our procedures include that Edutopia has developed and implemented and maintains a written organizational information security policy, has implemented employee training regarding safeguarding personal information, has conducted risk assessments and uses readily available security measures to periodically monitor systems and assets to identify data security events. Edutopia has imposed reasonable data access controls and has a process to secure and inventory devices with access to personal information.

Because of the inherent risks in any online transmission or storage of data, we cannot and do not guarantee that your personal information will be 100 percent secure.

You are responsible for storing your account password and maintaining its confidentiality. Please notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security by sending an email to PRIVACY-NOTICES at EDUTOPIA (dot) ORG.

10. International Users

We are headquartered in the United States and we have service providers that have operations internationally. As a result, your personal information may be transferred outside your state, province, or country to the United States or other locations where privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your state, province, or country.  

11. Privacy Policy Updates

We may modify this Privacy Policy at any time by posting revisions to the Services or providing other appropriate notice, such as updating this document. In all cases, your continued use of the Services after any modification to the Privacy Policy indicates your assent to the amended Privacy Policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, you may contact us at:
George Lucas Educational Foundation
P.O. Box 3494
San Rafael, CA 94912

Email: PRIVACY-NOTICES at EDUTOPIA (dot) ORG