Privacy Policy
This notice explains how Open Tech Academy handles information for accounts, learning records, donations, certificate verification, and Otis. Different services use different providers and browser storage.
Information we collect
- Contact details you provide when you email us or submit a form (such as name and email address).
- Donation details required to process payments (handled securely by Stripe).
- Account details, including name, email, name changes, and any phone, location, organization, or newsletter preference you provide.
- Course activity, assessment submissions and scores, progress, and certificate records.
- Otis conversations, conversation summaries, saved memory notes, and choices about access to account records or device information.
- Technical information used by hosting, authentication, and payment providers to operate and secure their services.
How we use information
- Process donations, send receipts, and provide donor support.
- Respond to inquiries and support requests.
- Sign you in, maintain your profile, show your learning progress, grade assessments, and check eligibility for certificates.
- Provide Otis responses and preserve context for later conversations.
- Maintain site reliability, security, and performance.
Browser storage and measurement
My Open Tech Academy uses Auth0 for sign-in. The portal stores authentication tokens in browser local storage, and Otis stores a preference for whether its panel is open. Authentication and payment services may use their own cookies or storage. Clearing local storage can sign you out, but does not delete server records.
On the main website, Google Ads measurement and Netlify real-user performance monitoring are optional. They load only after you choose to allow optional measurement. You can decline or change that choice using Privacy choices in the main website footer. Turning optional tracking off reloads the page; completed or already in-flight requests cannot be recalled. Storage and requests after opting in can depend on browser settings and service configuration.
Sharing and service providers
Auth0 provides authentication, Stripe processes payments, Netlify hosts the sites and certificate PDF storage, and Neon/Postgres stores application records. Email services deliver receipts and service communications. We do not sell personal data.
Otis assistant
Otis sends conversation text, account and course context, saved memories, and prior summaries to Google Gemini to generate responses and summarize earlier messages. Where you grant access, relevant learning, certificate, donation, or device information can be included. Avoid sharing passwords, payment card details, or information you do not want this provider to process.
Starting a new chat creates a new conversation; it does not delete earlier conversations or saved memories. Messages, summaries, and access choices are stored on the server to support continued assistance.
Certificate verification
Anyone with a certificate verification code can look up the public certificate record. Share a certificate or its code with this visibility in mind. Your signed-in learning record and certificate downloads require account access.
Public verification currently returns the recipient name and email, course, issue date, certificate ID and code, and any recorded alternate names. It also returns revocation status, date and reason, and whether a course retake is allowed. These fields can be retrieved without signing in when the verification code is known.
Data retention
Open Tech Academy retains account, learning, assessment, certificate, donation, and Otis records indefinitely, with no scheduled automatic deletion. This includes server-stored conversations, summaries, and saved memories. Browser storage can be cleared separately, and service providers apply their own retention policies. Contact us about access, correction, or deletion requests; record obligations and service-provider requirements need to be considered when responding.
Your choices
You may update your profile and newsletter preference in Account settings and review Otis access choices in the assistant. You may request access, corrections, or deletion of your personal information by contacting us.
Contact
Email questions to legal@opentechacademy.org.