Data Retention Policy
Last updated: October 13, 2026
The short version
- We keep your child's information only while it is needed to run the course for your family.
- We never keep children's information indefinitely.
- When you delete a child profile, delete your account, or withdraw consent, we delete your child's information within 30 days.
- If an account is inactive for 24 months, we email a notice and then delete it.
This is Bot Cadets' written data retention policy for personal information collected from children, as required by the FTC's COPPA Rule (16 CFR 312.10). It also covers the parent and visitor information we hold. [OPERATOR LEGAL NAME] ("Bot Cadets," "we") follows this policy, and [RESPONSIBLE PERSON] is responsible for keeping it current.
1. Children's information: purpose, need, and deletion timeline
| Information | Why we collect it | Why we need to keep it | When we delete it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | To greet the child and let the parent tell profiles apart | Needed for every session while the profile exists | Within 30 days of profile deletion, account deletion, or consent withdrawal, or after 24 months of account inactivity |
| Avatar choice | To show the child's picture in the course | Same as above | Same as above |
| Grade band | To show the right version of the course | Same as above | Same as above |
| Lesson progress | To save the child's place | So the child can continue where they left off and the parent can see progress | Same as above |
| Mastery check results | To unlock skills and report mastery to the parent | The course depends on past results to decide what unlocks next, and the parent dashboard shows them | Same as above |
| Final-project text | To save the child's work and show it to the parent | So the child can finish it and the parent can see it | Same as above. A parent can also delete it on its own at any time. |
| Technical data from the child's sessions (IP address, browser type, login cookie) | To deliver pages, keep the child signed in, and protect the site | Only as long as needed for those internal operations | On the log and cookie schedule in Section 3 |
We do not keep children's information for any other purpose, and we do not keep "anonymized" copies of a child's final-project text after deletion.
2. Parent and visitor information
| Information | Why we collect it | When we delete it |
|---|---|---|
| Parent name, email, hashed password, and email preference | To run the account and send account emails | Within 30 days of account deletion, or after 24 months of inactivity |
| Consent record (typed name, boxes checked, date and time, notice version, when the confirmation email was sent, and when consent was withdrawn) | To show that verifiable parental consent was obtained and when it was withdrawn | Kept while the account exists, including after consent is withdrawn. Deleted within 30 days of account deletion. The consent record contains no information about the child. |
| Unfinished sign-ups (parent account with no consent given) | To finish the consent process | The parent's name, email, and account are deleted if consent is not given within 30 days. No child information exists before consent. |
| Waitlist entry (email, plus optional children's ages, state, referral source, and update preference) | To tell you when a spot opens and plan the beta | When you ask, when you create an account, or 12 months after the beta ends, whichever comes first |
| Support messages | To answer your questions | 12 months after the conversation ends, unless needed for a legal reason |
3. Technical logs and cookies
- Server and request logs (which may include IP addresses) are kept by our hosting provider only for its standard log period, currently [VERCEL LOG RETENTION, e.g., up to 1 day / 3 days depending on plan]. We do not export them or combine them with child profiles.
- Sign-in logs at our login provider (which include IP address and browser type) are kept for 1 day and are deleted with the account.
- Email delivery logs: none yet. During the beta we don't send email through an email provider. When we start, this policy will say how long those logs are kept.
- Login cookie lasts until you sign out. During the beta it does not expire on its own.
4. How deletion works
- Starting deletion. A parent can delete a child profile, withdraw consent, or delete their account in Settings, or by emailing mrcarterpark@gmail.com. We confirm the request comes from the account holder before acting on emailed requests.
- Live database. Deletions started in Settings remove the information from the live database right away. Emailed requests are completed within 10 days.
- Backups. Our database provider keeps automatic backups for [BACKUP WINDOW, e.g., 7 days]. Deleted information leaves the backups as they roll over. We never restore deleted children's information from a backup except to recover from a system failure, and if we do, we delete it again right away.
- All copies gone. All copies are deleted within 30 days of the request.
- Confirmation. For emailed requests, we reply to confirm when deletion is done.
Deletion uses our providers' standard deletion tools. While deleted data waits to roll out of backups, the backups stay encrypted and access-controlled, and we do not use them for anything except recovery from a system failure. Once deleted data has left the backups, we cannot recover it.
5. Inactive accounts
An account is inactive if no one has signed in to it for 24 months. Before deleting an inactive account, we email the parent at least 30 days in advance. Signing in during that time keeps the account active.
6. Legal holds
If the law requires us to keep specific information longer, such as for an active legal claim or a law enforcement request, we will keep only what is required, only for as long as required, and will not use it for anything else.
7. Review
[RESPONSIBLE PERSON] reviews this policy at least once a year and whenever we change what we collect. Any change that affects children's information will be reflected in our Privacy Policy and, where the law requires, sent to parents for new consent.
8. Contact
[OPERATOR LEGAL NAME], [MAILING ADDRESS], mrcarterpark@gmail.com, [PHONE]