Privacy Policy

How personal data is handled inside Quantum Academy.

Privacy and Data Protection PolicyAt Sommerfeld Educational Platform, we respect the privacy of our users and are committed to handling personal information responsibly, securely, and transparently.This Privacy Policy explains what information we may collect, how and why we use it, when it may be shared, how long we may retain it, and the privacy rights that may be available to individuals.References to “Sommerfeld,” “we,” “us,” or “the Platform” include the Sommerfeld website, applications, educational services, and related services.1. Scope of This PolicyThis Policy applies to personal information collected or processed by Sommerfeld in connection with our Platform and services.It may apply to:Parents and legal guardians who create and manage accounts.Students who access educational services through a parent- or guardian-managed account.Teachers and instructors.Job applicants.Independent teachers, contractors, freelancers, and service providers.Individuals who contact us through our website, application, or support channels.2. Student and Child AccountsSommerfeld is designed so that accounts used for minor students are created, owned, and managed by a parent or legal guardian.The parent or guardian creates the account, provides the required information, manages the account, selects educational services, makes bookings, and handles payments on behalf of the student.We do not require children to create independent Sommerfeld accounts or directly provide personal information to us.When a minor uses our educational services, that use takes place through the parent- or guardian-managed account and under the parent's or guardian's supervision and responsibility.Educational services may involve interaction between a student and a teacher or use of educational tools within the Platform. However, primary account, contact, and payment information is obtained from the parent or legal guardian.We do not knowingly ask a child under 13 to directly provide a personal email address, telephone number, payment information, home address, or similar identifying information to Sommerfeld.If we learn that a child has directly provided personal information to us without appropriate parental involvement or authorization, we may delete the information or take other appropriate action in accordance with applicable law.3. Information We May CollectThe information we collect depends on how Sommerfeld is used and the services requested.Parent or Guardian InformationThis may include:Name.Telephone number.Email address.Contact information.Account information.Billing and payment information.Information required to create and manage educational services for a student.Information About the StudentA parent or legal guardian may provide limited information about a student where reasonably necessary to provide educational services, including:First name or Platform display name.Age or educational stage.Grade level.Subjects requested.Academic level.Educational goals or learning needs.Lesson schedules and bookings.Other information the parent chooses to provide to assist the teacher in delivering the educational service.Parents and guardians should avoid providing information about a child that is not reasonably necessary for the educational service.Account InformationThis may include:Username.Login information.Account settings.Profile information.Booking and service history.Account preferences.Passwords are handled using appropriate technical safeguards and should not be stored in openly readable form.Platform and Technical Usage InformationCertain information may be generated automatically when our website or application is used, including:Pages and features accessed.Login and access times.Bookings and service requests.Device type.Browser type.Internet Protocol (IP) address.Error logs.Technical information used to secure the Platform, diagnose problems, and improve performance.Where a student accesses the Platform using a parent-managed account, certain technical information may be generated as a result of the device interacting with our services.Payment and Financial InformationWe may process information necessary to:Collect fees for services.Issue refunds.Generate invoices.Pay teachers and other service providers.Payment-card information may be processed directly by specialized third-party payment providers and may therefore also be subject to the provider's privacy and security practices.Teacher, Contractor, and Applicant InformationWe may collect information including:Résumés and CVs.Academic qualifications.Professional certifications.Employment and professional experience.Skills and areas of specialization.Identification information where necessary.Contact information.Interview or assessment information.Bank or payment information required to issue payments.4. How We Collect InformationWe may obtain information:Directly from a parent or guardian when an account is created.When account information is updated.When a lesson is booked or a package is purchased.When a user contacts Customer Service or Technical Support.When a parent provides information about a student for educational purposes.From teachers, contractors, or applicants who submit information to us.Automatically through use of our website or application.From service providers assisting us in operating the Platform where legally permitted.5. How We Use InformationWe may use personal information to:Create and manage accounts.Provide educational services.Connect students with teachers.Manage lessons and bookings.Manage packages and subscriptions.Process payments and refunds.Communicate with parents or guardians regarding accounts, students, or services.Send lesson and booking notifications.Provide customer and technical support.Improve Sommerfeld services and user experience.Diagnose technical problems.Protect accounts and our Platform.Detect fraud or misuse.Manage relationships with teachers and contractors.Review employment and contracting applications.Perform contractual and financial obligations.Maintain required business records.Comply with applicable federal and state legal requirements in the United States.6. Children's Privacy and Parental ControlSommerfeld's account model is designed so that a parent or legal guardian creates and manages the account on behalf of a minor student.We do not require children under 13 to create their own Sommerfeld accounts or directly submit personal information to us.The parent or legal guardian is responsible for:Creating the account.Providing information relating to the student.Managing the student's profile.Selecting teachers and educational services.Approving bookings.Managing payments.Supervising the child's use of the service.Where the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) or other applicable U.S. children's privacy requirements apply, we seek to handle information relating to children consistently with those requirements.A parent or legal guardian who believes that a child has provided personal information directly to Sommerfeld without the parent's knowledge may contact us to request review or deletion of that information where permitted or required by law.7. Parental Rights Regarding Student InformationA parent or legal guardian managing a student's account may contact us to:Review information about the student associated with the account.Request correction of inaccurate information.Request deletion of certain information where permitted by law.Close the student's account.Request that certain consent-based processing stop.Ask how student information is being used.We may verify the identity and authority of the account holder before acting on a request involving a minor student's information.8. Your Privacy RightsDepending on your state of residence and the laws applicable to Sommerfeld, you may have rights that include:Requesting information about personal data we maintain about you.Accessing your personal information.Correcting inaccurate personal information.Requesting deletion of certain personal information.Learning how personal information is used and disclosed.Objecting to or opting out of certain processing where provided by applicable law.Withdrawing consent where processing depends on consent.Exercising other rights provided under applicable U.S. privacy laws.Privacy rights differ among U.S. states and may be subject to statutory requirements, exceptions, and business applicability thresholds.9. U.S. State Privacy RightsCertain U.S. state privacy laws may provide additional rights to residents of those states.For example, where the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended, applies to Sommerfeld and the individual concerned, applicable rights may include the right to:Know categories or specific pieces of personal information collected.Request deletion of certain personal information.Correct inaccurate personal information.Understand the purposes for which information is used.Understand categories of third parties to which information is disclosed.Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information where such activities occur and the law applies.Exercise privacy rights without unlawful discrimination.Reference to a particular law in this Policy does not necessarily mean that the law applies to Sommerfeld in every circumstance. Rights are provided according to the scope and applicability requirements of the relevant law.10. Sale of Personal InformationSommerfeld does not sell the personal information of students or parents for monetary consideration.If our practices change in the future in a manner that constitutes a legally defined “sale” or “sharing” of personal information under an applicable U.S. state privacy law, we will provide any notices and choices required by that law.11. Exercising Your Privacy RightsPrivacy requests may be submitted through Sommerfeld's official communication channels, including:The Contact Us section of our website.The Sommerfeld application.Customer Service.Official Sommerfeld support channels.We may request information reasonably necessary to verify the identity of the account holder, parent, or legal guardian before fulfilling a request.We will respond within the period required by the applicable privacy law.12. Data RetentionWe retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or as required for legal, contractual, financial, or legitimate business purposes.We may retain certain records after an account is closed for purposes including:Financial and accounting records.Processing refunds.Resolving disputes or claims.Satisfying legal requirements.Preventing fraud.Protecting Sommerfeld and its users.Enforcing our Terms and Conditions.When there is no longer a lawful or legitimate need to retain information, we may delete, destroy, or anonymize it.13. Service ProvidersSommerfeld may use third-party companies to help operate our services.These may include:Payment processors.Cloud and hosting providers.Email and messaging providers.Notification services.Video or communication providers used in connection with educational services.Technical support systems.Cybersecurity providers.Accounting and administrative systems.Platform performance and analytics tools.We seek to provide service providers only with information reasonably necessary to perform the services they provide to us.14. Legally Required DisclosuresWe may disclose information where we believe in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to:Comply with applicable law or regulation.Respond to a valid subpoena, court order, or legal process.Cooperate with a competent government authority.Protect Sommerfeld's legal rights.Protect the safety of users.Investigate fraud or unlawful activity.Protect the security of our Platform.15. Mergers, Acquisitions, and Business TransfersIf Sommerfeld is involved in:A merger.An acquisition.A sale of some or all of its assets.A corporate restructuring.A transfer of part of its business or services.Personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable legal requirements.We will continue to handle such information in accordance with applicable privacy obligations and provide any legally required notice if the transaction results in a material change to the manner in which personal information is processed.16. Processing Inside and Outside the United StatesSommerfeld may use service providers or data centers located in the United States or in other countries.As a result, information may be stored or processed in a jurisdiction different from the user's place of residence.We take reasonable measures designed to protect personal information when it is processed by our service providers and seek appropriate contractual and security safeguards where appropriate.17. Data SecurityWe maintain reasonable technical and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal information against:Unauthorized access.Unauthorized disclosure.Alteration.Unlawful use.Loss.Destruction.Misuse.Depending on the system involved, safeguards may include:Access controls.Password protection.Encryption of communications.Backups.System monitoring.Security updates.Infrastructure security measures.No electronic service can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and therefore we cannot guarantee absolute security.18. Account Holder ResponsibilitiesAccount holders are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their account credentials.Parents and guardians should not share account passwords or access credentials with unauthorized persons.Please contact us if you suspect:Unauthorized access to an account.Lost or stolen login credentials.Unauthorized use of an account.Unusual account activity.19. Third-Party Services and WebsitesSommerfeld may contain links, features, or integrations provided by third parties.Those third parties may maintain privacy policies that are separate from this Privacy Policy.Sommerfeld does not control the privacy practices of external websites or services that we do not operate.We encourage users to review the privacy policy of any external service before providing personal information to that service.20. Cookies and Similar TechnologiesThe Sommerfeld website may use cookies and similar technologies to:Operate the website.Maintain user sessions.Remember settings.Improve performance.Protect the Platform.Understand how services are used.Where applicable, users may be able to control certain cookies through browser settings or privacy controls made available through Sommerfeld.21. Changes to This Privacy PolicyWe may update this Privacy Policy from time to time because of:New services.Changes to Platform features.Changes in our data-processing practices.Changes in applicable legal or regulatory requirements.The updated version will be published on the Sommerfeld website or application.Where a change is material or where applicable law requires notice, we may provide users with additional notification.22. Contacting UsParents, legal guardians, users, teachers, contractors, and applicants may contact Sommerfeld with questions about privacy or personal information through the official communication channels published on our website or application.When a request concerns the account of a minor student, we may request appropriate information to verify that the person making the request is the parent, legal guardian, or authorized account holder.23. Applicable Privacy LawsSommerfeld handles personal information in accordance with applicable United States federal and state privacy laws, depending on the nature of the service, the user's state of residence, and whether a particular law applies.Applicable laws may include, where relevant:The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and its implementing regulations.Applicable federal consumer protection and privacy requirements.Applicable U.S. state privacy laws providing residents with specific rights relating to their personal information.Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to limit rights provided to an individual by applicable law or to create statutory rights where a particular law does not otherwise apply.