Student and Children’s Privacy

ZoodleBug Privacy Policy

Effective and last updated: October 13, 2026

Plain-language summary: ZoodleBug is an educational, advertising-free service. We do not sell student information, use it for targeted advertising, or build commercial profiles. Persistent student accounts may be created only by verified educators for authorized educational use. District-mode students are excluded from public leaderboards and public content sharing by default.

1. Who operates ZoodleBug

ZoodleBug is operated by Tim Bedley. This policy applies to zoodlebug.com and the ZoodleBug games, learning tools, account system, educator tools, and related support services.

2. Children, schools, and student accounts

Children may use public, no-login activities without creating a persistent learner profile on ZoodleBug’s servers. ZoodlePop Guest Play stores game progress only in that browser on that device, does not ask for a name or email, and provides a control to clear the saved progress. Guest progress does not sync across devices and may be lost when browser data is cleared. Other public guest modes, including Rock the Facts and Frac Jack computer play, do not save guest wins, losses, or a named learner profile to ZoodleBug’s servers. A child may not create a persistent ZoodleBug account independently. A verified educator may provision a pseudonymous student account only after confirming authorization from a school, district, or other educational agency for educational use. An educator may also share a class code or class QR code so students can create their own pseudonymous account that is placed in that educator’s class; sharing the code is the educator’s authorization for those students, and the educator manages, resets, and can delete those accounts. Educators can turn this off for a class and approve each new student instead.

A student may also join an educator-created classroom tournament with a short code as a guest. That flow uses an anonymous technical account and a made-up tournament name; it does not ask for a personal email. Inactive anonymous authentication accounts are scheduled for removal after 30 days, and tournament activity follows the retention schedule below.

Students may also join an educator’s live class game, such as Foundry 6 7 LIVE! or Pebble, with a short code. A student without a ZoodleBug account types a first name only (names are checked for classroom-appropriate words, and the educator can edit them); the game uses an anonymous technical account and does not ask for an email. A student with an account joins under the class name the educator set.

When a school or district uses ZoodleBug, the school controls its pupil records. ZoodleBug processes those records only to provide the contracted educational service and as directed by the school. The school may act on behalf of a parent when the law permits school authorization for a solely educational use. ZoodleBug will cooperate with the school and family on access, correction, export, and deletion requests.

3. Information we process

Category	Examples	Purpose
Account information	Pseudonymous username, Firebase user ID, account role, sponsor educator, account dates, and authentication records. Educator accounts also use an email address and verification information (school name and job title, or that the account is a parent / homeschool family). The school or home address typed in to verify is checked once and is not stored. Tournament guests use an anonymous technical account. Student accounts may also hold the student’s first name, last-name initials (never a full last name), and an optional grade band so the educator can recognize them; a student who joins with a class code types these in when signing up.	Authentication, account security, access control, and educator verification.
Educational activity	Game progress, scores, wins/losses, stars, levels, responses, practice results, adaptive progress, educator-created rosters, and daily totals per game (time played, right/wrong answers, rewards) for signed-in students.	Provide activities, save progress, and help educators support learning.
Accountless Guest Play	ZoodlePop Guest Play stores puzzle progress and stars in the visitor’s browser without a name, email, account, or server-side learner profile. Other public guest modes, including Rock the Facts and Frac Jack computer play, do not save guest wins, losses, or a named learner profile to ZoodleBug’s servers.	Provide age-appropriate play without requiring a persistent student account.
Multiplayer and tournament records	Pseudonymous player names, opponents, game state, prewritten chat choices, team membership, results, and timestamps.	Operate shared games and classroom tournaments safely.
Live class games joined with a code	First name or class name, an anonymous technical account (for guests), answers, game boards and drawings made during the game, scores, and timestamps (for example Foundry 6 7 LIVE! and Pebble).	Run a whole-class game led from the educator’s screen.
Saved class-game reports (ZoodleBug Max)	Foundry 6 7 LIVE! session history (date, settings, each job, and each player’s results by first name) and Pebble session reports (each student’s name, answers, pebble boards including drawings, scores, and any notes the educator wrote).	Let the educator look back at how each student did.
Class messages and Join notices	A short message an educator sends to students in one of their classes, the class name, which students it went to, and when each student saw it. A “Join” notice on a student’s home page naming the live game, the educator’s display name, and when it was sent.	Let educators reach their own students during class.
Live Classroom (ZoodleBug Max)	While a signed-in student has a ZoodleBug game or the home page open, the browser reports about every 10 seconds which game is open, whether the page is showing, and an activity level from 0 to 100 (how much of the last 30 seconds included a tap, click, key press, or mouse movement). It does not record what was typed, the screen, or location. Also the sound settings (music off or all sound off) the educator chooses.	Show the student’s own educator who is actively playing right now, and let the educator turn game sound down.
Tutor Live (ZoodleBug Max)	Session record (tutor and student display names, class, games, levels, start/end times, and the session log), pen, highlighter, and whiteboard marks, pointer positions, a live copy of the student’s game screen sent to the tutor, and the tutor’s taps and key presses when the tutor takes over. Voice is not handled by ZoodleBug.	Let an educator tutor one of their students inside a ZoodleBug game.
DinoDecoder shared reports	When an educator chooses “Get a share link” on a DinoDecoder progress report or class summary, ZoodleBug stores a copy of that report page (what the educator saw, which can include student first names and last-name initials, lessons completed, and scores) under a random, unguessable web address. Anyone who has the address can open it without signing in. It is not listed or searchable, and the educator can stop sharing at any time.	Let an educator send a report to a parent, administrator, or colleague.
DinoDecoder anonymous results	When an educator teaches a DinoDecoder lesson, pre-test, unit assessment or placement test, ZoodleBug keeps an anonymous record of the result: a random code made on the educator’s device for that student (not made from a name, account, email or class), the grade if the educator chose one, the lesson or unit, how many items were answered and how many were Got It, and the date. It contains no name, account identifier, email, class, school or district, and it cannot be used to sign in or to contact anyone. The educator’s own saved student records (with names) are separate and are described above.	Judge whether DinoDecoder helps students learn, and improve its lessons. Seen only by ZoodleBug administrators.
Educator-created content	Cuatro titles, topics, prompts, answers, descriptions, keywords, and educator-uploaded images.	Create, store, moderate, and optionally share educator learning activities.
Support and privacy requests	Name, reply email, account identifier, school/district, relationship to the learner, and request details.	Respond, verify authority, and complete support or privacy requests.
Feedback button	Which game or tool, the message, the page address, a short device/browser description, and up to 3 screenshots the person chooses to attach. Signed-out visitors may add a name, email, and phone number. For signed-in users, the account’s username and role are attached instead (plus the email address for adult accounts); contact details are never collected from student accounts.	Read suggestions and problem reports and improve ZoodleBug.
ZoodleBug Pro subscriptions (adults only)	The plan (monthly or yearly), subscription status, free-trial and renewal dates, whether a free trial was used, and Stripe’s customer and subscription identifiers. Card numbers and billing details are entered on Stripe’s secure page; ZoodleBug never receives or stores card numbers. Student accounts cannot subscribe.	Provide and manage paid ZoodleBug Pro features.
Educator newsletter (optional)	The email address an educator or parent account chooses to sign up on the Educator Hub, which account signed up, the consent they gave, and when. Student accounts cannot sign up.	Send the ZoodleBug Educator Newsletter: updates about new ZoodleBug apps, teacher tips, and classroom ideas.
Technical and security information	IP address, device/browser information, authentication cookies or local storage, timestamps, service logs, and anti-abuse tokens.	Operate, secure, troubleshoot, and prevent abuse of the service.

4. How information is used

Provide accounts, games, educational tools, progress, and classroom features.
Authenticate users and apply student, educator, and administrator permissions.
Protect users, prevent abuse, investigate errors, and maintain security.
Respond to support, access, correction, export, and deletion requests.
Comply with school contracts and applicable legal obligations.

Student information is not used for targeted advertising, marketing to students, sale, rent, or unrelated commercial profiling.

5. Service providers

ZoodleBug uses service providers only to operate and protect the service:

Google Firebase / Google Cloud: hosting, authentication, databases, file storage, Cloud Functions, logs, and related infrastructure.
Cloudflare: domain/security services and Turnstile anti-abuse verification.
U.S. Census Bureau Geocoder: checks, one time, that the address an adult types in to verify an educator account is a real U.S. address. The address is not stored by ZoodleBug.
Resend: delivery of contact and privacy-request email, and short notice emails (for example, telling an educator that student account requests are waiting, without student names).
Stripe: payment processing for ZoodleBug Pro subscriptions, used only by adult accounts. ZoodleBug shares the account’s email address, display name or username, and ZoodleBug account ID so Stripe can set up the subscription; Stripe collects and handles card and billing details, receipts, and sales tax under its own privacy policy. No student information is sent to Stripe.

Cuatro may prepare an educator-authored prompt and open ChatGPT as a separate service. ZoodleBug does not automatically transmit student data or Cuatro content to ChatGPT. The user chooses whether to leave ZoodleBug and use that separate service under its own terms.

ZoodleBug may also disclose information when required by law, to protect safety or security, or in a business transfer subject to continuing student-privacy protections. We do not permit service providers to use student information for their own advertising or unrelated purposes.

6. Visibility and sharing

District-mode student accounts are excluded from public leaderboards and public content sharing by default.
Multiplayer names, game state, and prewritten chat may be visible to the participants in that game.
Tournament records are limited to assigned participants and participating educators.
Cuatro creation and community publishing are limited to verified educators and administrators.
Live Classroom activity, class messages, Tutor Live sessions, Student Data, and saved class-game reports are available only to the student’s own educator (for Tutor Live, the tutor in that session) and ZoodleBug administrators.
In live class games the class screen shows only what the educator chooses to share; shared student boards are shown without names.

7. Retention and deletion

Record	Default retention
Student account and saved educational progress	While the authorized account is active; deleted within 30 days after a verified deletion request or the applicable district-contract deadline, unless law requires a shorter period.
Accountless Guest Play	ZoodlePop progress remains in the visitor’s browser until the visitor uses Clear Guest Progress or clears browser/site data. Rock the Facts and Frac Jack guest results are not retained as account records.
Inactive anonymous tournament authentication account	30 days after last authentication activity.
Waiting-room and multiplayer session records	Waiting records are removed after they are no longer operationally needed; completed or abandoned session records are removed within 30 days.
Tournament records	Up to 12 months after the tournament ends, or earlier on verified school request or contract end.
Class messages	A message waits for each student up to 14 days; sent messages are deleted automatically 30 days after they were sent.
Join notices (Live Join)	Removed when the game stops taking players, when the educator cancels it, or after 3 hours.
Live Classroom activity	Only the most recent report for each student is kept; each new report replaces the last one, so no activity history is built up.
Tutor Live drawings, whiteboard, pointers, screen copy, and take-over input	Deleted when the session ends (sessions left open are ended automatically after 8 hours). Marks on a game are also deleted when the tutor switches games.
Tutor Live session log	Up to 12 months after the session as the tutoring log, or earlier when the student’s account is deleted.
Foundry 6 7 LIVE! history and Pebble reports	Until the educator deletes the report (Pebble), the educator’s account ends, or the school requests deletion.
DinoDecoder shared reports	30 days after the link is made, or sooner when the educator stops sharing.
DinoDecoder anonymous results	Kept while ZoodleBug measures how DinoDecoder helps students. They contain no personal information.
Educator-created content	Until the educator deletes it, the account ends, or the school requests deletion.
Educator newsletter signup	Until the educator unsubscribes on the Educator Hub (the signup is then deleted), asks us to remove it, or the account ends.
Feedback button messages and screenshots	Until reviewed and deleted by the ZoodleBug administrator. Anyone may ask us to delete feedback they sent.
ZoodleBug Pro subscription records	While the account exists. Stripe keeps payment records as required by law under its own policies.
Support and privacy-request correspondence	Up to 12 months after the request is closed, unless needed longer for a documented dispute or legal obligation.
Security and operational logs	Normally up to 12 months, subject to shorter provider settings and documented security needs.
Deletion receipt	A non-readable hash and completion record may be retained for up to 24 months as evidence that deletion occurred.

Backups and service-provider copies are deleted or overwritten on their normal secure cycles. Information subject to a valid legal hold may be isolated and retained only for that purpose.

8. Security

ZoodleBug uses role-based access, verified-educator controls, HTTPS, managed authentication, restricted database and storage rules, server-side functions for sensitive operations, secret management, logging, backups, and incident-response procedures. No online service can guarantee perfect security, but ZoodleBug maintains safeguards appropriate to the service and the information processed.

9. Parent, student, educator, and school rights

A parent, guardian, eligible student, educator, or school may request access, correction, export, or deletion. We verify identity and authority before disclosing or deleting records. A verified educator can delete student accounts that the educator provisioned and receives a deletion receipt. Schools may submit requests for all students under their control.

Submit a request through the ZoodleBug privacy request form. Never send a password through the form.

10. Changes to this policy

Material changes will be posted here with a new effective date. When a school contract or applicable law requires advance notice or consent, ZoodleBug will provide it before the change takes effect for that use.

11. Contact

Operator: Tim Bedley
Privacy email: privacy@zoodlebug.com
Mailing address: 31165 Temecula Pkwy, Suite G3, Unit #2120, Temecula, CA 92592
Telephone: 951-878-9140
Online request: Privacy request form

This public notice explains ZoodleBug’s general practices. A school or district data-privacy agreement may impose additional or shorter requirements; the stricter applicable requirement controls.