1. Introduction
AI Course Companion (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of users of the AI Course Companion Android application (the “App”). This Privacy Policy explains how the App handles information, what data is and is not collected, how data is processed, and the measures we take to protect user information.
AI Course Companion is designed for use in higher education settings by university students, instructors, and administrators. The App is intended for college-level users and is not directed to children under the age of 13.
2. Scope of This Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to the AI Course Companion Android app and related services made available through the App. It is intended to provide transparency regarding how we treat user, device, and course-related data in connection with the App.
3. Intended Users
The App is intended for:
- Higher education students
- Instructors
- Academic or course administrators
The App is available only to users authorized through participating institutions. It is designed for use in university and college environments and is not intended for general consumer use unrelated to an educational setting.
4. Account Creation and Authentication
Users do not create separate accounts within the App.
Student access is managed through course enrollment verification using Canvas authentication APIs. The App checks whether a user is enrolled in an authorized course through the institution’s learning management system integration. Students use the App without creating an independent AI Course Companion account or profile.
We do not collect personally identifiable account registration information through the App.
5. Information We Collect
Based on the current design of the App, we do not collect personally identifiable information from users through the App.
The App is designed so that users remain anonymous within the system. We do not collect personal profile information from users.
We also do not display ads, use advertising identifiers, or engage in cross-app tracking.
6. Course Interactions and User Content
The App processes user-submitted questions, prompts, and related interaction content in order to provide AI-powered educational assistance.
This may include:
- user-entered text prompts or questions
- AI-generated responses
- anonymous interaction records used for service operation, support, and quality review
These interactions are handled in a manner designed to avoid identifying individual users. Student interactions may be reviewed internally without user identification for system oversight, service improvement, educational support, and feature evaluation.
Instructors and administrators may view aggregated usage trends and anonymized individual interactions for educational support, service oversight, and feature evaluation purposes.
7. Analytics, Technical Information, and Operational Logs
We collect limited anonymized usage data that may help us analyze how App features are used so we can better serve users and improve the App’s functionality.
The Android app may also process basic technical information automatically required for secure operation, even if that information is not used to identify users. This may include technical or device-related information necessary for connectivity, system security, service reliability, and feature delivery.
This may include anonymous or aggregated information about feature usage, service performance, and operational behavior. We do not use this information for advertising, profiling, or cross-app tracking.
8. Use of Third-Party AI Processing
User prompts and related content are sent to Google Gemini for processing in order to generate responses within the App.
This processing is performed solely to provide the App’s core functionality. We do not disclose user data to third parties for advertising, sale, or marketing purposes.
According to our current implementation:
- prompts and responses are not used to train AI models
- interactions are handled as anonymous or de-identified within our system
- we do not intentionally provide personally identifiable student data to the AI processing provider through the App
To the extent any data is transmitted to Google Gemini to generate an AI response, that transmission is limited to service delivery purposes.
9. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell, rent, or share user data with third parties for advertising, marketing, or profiling purposes.
Limited disclosure may occur only where necessary for service delivery, such as transmission of user prompts to Google Gemini to generate AI responses. In such cases, the third party acts as a service provider or processor supporting the App’s functionality, not as an independent recipient for its own commercial use.
We may also disclose information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, security, or integrity of the App, our users, institutions, or the public.
10. Institutional Role and Educational Context
Universities and other educational institutions using AI Course Companion act as the primary controllers of course access data. AI Course Companion acts as a service provider and operator for the App environment.
The App is used in higher education contexts, and educational privacy expectations may be governed in part by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and applicable institutional policies.
AI Course Companion is designed to support privacy-conscious educational use by minimizing the collection of personally identifiable information and by handling user interactions in anonymized or de-identified form where possible.
Institutions remain responsible for their own educational records practices, access configurations, and compliance obligations.
11. Advertising and Tracking
- AI Course Companion does not show ads
- does not use advertising IDs
- does not perform cross-app tracking
- does not use user data for targeted advertising
12. Security Measures
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards to protect data handled by the App.
These measures include:
- encryption in transit, such as HTTPS/TLS
- encryption of data at rest
- secure token-based access controls
- controlled access to the App and related systems
- anonymized logs where applicable
- budget and abuse controls to reduce misuse and unauthorized activity
We also limit access to systems and data to authorized personnel based on operational need.
13. Data Retention
Data is retained only as long as needed for operational, security, and educational support purposes.
Because the App is designed to support anonymous use, retained records are intended to avoid direct identification of individual users where possible.
14. User Rights and Deletion Requests
Because the App is designed not to collect personally identifiable information directly from users, many traditional account-based privacy rights may not apply in the same way they would in a named-account consumer application.
Since users are anonymous, deletion requests may be limited or may not be applicable in some cases.
Users with privacy-related questions or requests may contact us at contact@ai-course-companion.com. Where appropriate, requests will be reviewed in coordination with the relevant educational institution and subject to legal, technical, and operational constraints.
15. Children’s Privacy
The App is intended for use by college and university students, instructors, and administrators. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children through the App.
16. International and Regional Privacy Considerations
The App is intended primarily for use in higher education settings. Privacy rights and obligations may vary depending on the jurisdiction and the institution deploying the App. Where applicable, we will address privacy inquiries in good faith in accordance with relevant law and institutional obligations.
17. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the App, legal requirements, or privacy practices. When we do, we will revise the effective date at the top of this Privacy Policy. Continued use of the App after an updated version becomes effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy, to the extent permitted by law.