Student Privacy Notice
This notice explains how BuzzKit collects, uses, discloses, retains, and deletes information, including information generated when students participate in a school-authorized game.
1. Operator and contact
BuzzKit is a BuzzCloud service operated by Mason Buzzell in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Privacy, parent, and school requests may be sent to [email protected].
2. Who may use BuzzKit
Accounts are for people age 13 or older; account holders aged 13 to 17 need a parent's or guardian's permission. At sign-up we ask for a date of birth only to check this age requirement, and we do not store it. Children under 13 cannot create accounts and participate only through a game code and nickname supplied in a session authorized by a teacher, school, district, or parent. If we learn that an account belongs to a child under 13, we will delete it. Students do not need to provide an email address or create a reusable account to join a game.
A school may authorize collection from a child under 13 only for a school-authorized educational purpose and where the school is permitted to act for the parent. If BuzzKit is used outside that setting with a child under 13, the parent must provide verifiable consent before personal information is collected.
3. Information collected
| Category | Examples | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Account data | Email address, display name, password hash, avatar, acceptance version and time | Authentication, account administration, and documenting agreement |
| Student gameplay data | Nickname, avatar, answers, correctness, scores, progress, game activity, and session membership | Run the game, show results, and provide teacher reports |
| Teacher content | Sets, questions, answer choices, images, and settings | Provide authored learning activities |
| Technical data | Session cookie and limited network/security logs such as IP address, browser type, and request time | Operate, secure, diagnose, and prevent abuse of the service |
| Aggregate metrics | Daily totals for games, joins, and answers | Understand basic product operation; these counters contain no names, emails, user IDs, questions, or individual histories |
BuzzKit does not ask students for a legal name, email address, precise location, phone number, contacts, biometric data, or payment information. Schools should instruct students to use a classroom nickname rather than a full legal name.
4. How information is used
Information is used to authenticate adult users; deliver and personalize classroom games; calculate scores and progress; provide reports to the authorized host; maintain security; comply with law; and support the requested educational service. Student data is not used for unrelated commercial purposes.
5. Disclosure and visibility
A student's nickname, avatar, and score may be visible to the host and other players in that game. Answers and learning reports are available to the game host. Information may also be disclosed to infrastructure providers that process it solely to operate BuzzKit, to a successor subject to the same protections, or when legally required. BuzzKit does not permit those recipients to use student data for advertising or their own unrelated purposes.
BuzzKit does not sell or rent personal information, use student information for targeted advertising, or make student profiles public.
6. FERPA and school control
When a school discloses education-record information under FERPA's school-official exception, BuzzKit acts only to perform the educational function requested by the school, remains under the school's direct control regarding use and maintenance of that information, uses it only for the authorized purpose, and does not redisclose it except as authorized by the school and applicable law. The school determines whether its FERPA conditions and annual notice cover the use.
7. COPPA notice and choices
For children under 13, BuzzKit collects only the limited gameplay information described above. A school authorization may substitute for parental consent only for a school-authorized educational purpose and not for advertising or another commercial purpose. Parents may refuse further collection and ask to review or delete their child's information. BuzzKit will not require a child to provide more information than reasonably necessary to participate.
8. Access, correction, deletion, and stopping collection
A parent, eligible student, school, or account holder may request access, correction, export, deletion, or an end to further collection by emailing the address above. Include the game host, approximate game date, and nickname used; do not email a password. BuzzKit may verify the requester's identity and authority before releasing or deleting records. Schools may also delete an authored set, which deletes its related sessions and gameplay records.
9. Retention and deletion
Gameplay records are kept while a session is active and for no more than 365 days after that session ends so the authorized educator can use reports. The service automatically deletes expired ended sessions and their answers, participants, positions, and mode state. Orphaned synthetic guest records are then deleted. Teacher-authored sets and adult account information remain until the owner deletes the set or requests account deletion, unless a shorter period is required by the school or law. Deletion may be delayed only where necessary for security, fraud prevention, or a legal obligation.
10. Security
BuzzKit uses access controls, encrypted web transport, hashed passwords, data minimization, and administrative safeguards appropriate to the service. No system is completely secure. If a security incident affects student data, BuzzKit will notify the affected school or account holder without unreasonable delay and cooperate with legally required notices.
11. State law and changes
State student-privacy laws and school contracts may provide additional rights or shorter retention periods. BuzzKit will honor applicable requirements and a signed school data agreement that expressly supersedes this notice. Material changes will receive a new version and require account holders to review and accept again. Student data collected under school authorization will not be put to a materially different use without the authorization required by law.