Privacy Notice

This Privacy Notice describes how Scholarium Inc. ("Scholarium", "we", "us") collects, uses, and shares personal data when you use Globe Weaver™ at globeonline.org (the "Service"). Scholarium Inc. is the data controller for the personal data described in this notice.

1. Personal data we collect

• Account data: name, email address, password (hashed), and any profile information you provide.
• Support data: messages and attachments you send when contacting support.
• Usage and telemetry: pages viewed, eras explored, layer toggles, performance metrics, and approximate timing data.
• Device data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers, and language.
• Subscription status: which plan you have and whether it is active (payment data itself is collected and processed by Paddle, not by us).

2. How we use personal data

• To create and manage your account (legal basis: contract).
• To provide the Service and personalised features (legal basis: contract).
• To prevent fraud, abuse, and to keep the Service secure (legal basis: legitimate interests).
• To improve and develop the Service through aggregated analytics (legal basis: legitimate interests).
• To respond to support requests (legal basis: contract / legitimate interests).
• To send service announcements, and — only with your consent — marketing communications (legal basis: consent).
• To comply with legal obligations (legal basis: legal obligation).

3. Who we share data with

• Paddle — our Merchant of Record, who processes payments, manages subscriptions, calculates and remits taxes, and issues invoices on our behalf.
• Hosting and infrastructure providers — to run the Service.
• Analytics and error-reporting tools — to understand product usage and diagnose issues.
• Customer support tools — to handle and track your enquiries.
• Professional advisers — such as legal and accounting professionals, where reasonably necessary.
• Authorities — where required by law or to protect rights, property, or safety.

4. International transfers

Some of our service providers may be located outside your country, including outside the UK / EEA. Where personal data is transferred internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions.

5. Data retention

We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described above, to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When data is no longer needed, we delete or anonymise it.

6. Your rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to processing of your personal data, to data portability, and to withdraw consent. Users in the UK and EEA have additional rights under the GDPR, including the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. We will respond to verified requests within one month.

To exercise any of these rights, email support@globeonline.org.

7. Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including encryption in transit, access controls, and routine security reviews. No system is perfectly secure, but we work continuously to safeguard your information.

8. Cookies

We use cookies, local storage, and similar technologies to operate the Service, remember your preferences, keep you signed in, and understand how Globe Weaver is used. The categories below describe what we set, who sets it, and why.

8.1 Strictly necessary

These are required to deliver the Service. Without them, sign-in, checkout, and core features would not work. They cannot be turned off through our UI.

• Authentication session (Supabase / Lovable Cloud) — keeps you signed in. Stored as a secure cookie / local storage token. Persists for the session lifetime, typically up to 7 days.
• CSRF and security tokens — protect against cross-site request forgery. Session-only.
• Paddle checkout (paddle.com) — set during checkout to process your order securely as our Merchant of Record. See the Paddle Privacy Policy.

8.2 Functional / preferences

These remember your choices so the Service feels consistent across visits. Stored locally in your browser (localStorage), not transmitted to our servers.

• globe.autoSyncUrl — whether your current era and layers are reflected in the URL.
• globe.layers — which map layers you last had enabled.
• globe.paymentTestBanner.dismissed — whether you have dismissed the test-mode banner.
• level / period selection — your last-selected reading level and time period.

8.3 Analytics

We use privacy-respecting analytics to understand aggregate usage — which eras and layers are popular, where users get stuck, and what to improve. Where required by law (UK / EEA), analytics cookies are loaded only after you give consent.

• Lovable Analytics — first-party page-view and event analytics provided by our hosting platform. Aggregated; does not build cross-site profiles.
• Supabase logs — server-side request logs used for diagnostics and abuse prevention. Includes IP address and user agent; retained up to 30 days.

We do not currently use Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel, or other third-party advertising trackers. If we add any in future, this notice will be updated and — where required — consent will be requested before they load.

8.4 Marketing

We do not currently set marketing or advertising cookies. We do not share data with ad networks or run retargeting campaigns.

8.5 Embedded third-party content

Globe Weaver embeds or links to third-party services that may set their own cookies when loaded:

• iNaturalist — when you click through to an observation page.
• Map / tile providers — used for base imagery.
• YouTube / Vimeo — only if a video is embedded on a page you view.

These providers control their own cookies under their own privacy policies.

8.6 Managing cookies and tracking

You can clear or block cookies and local storage at any time through your browser settings. Most browsers also support a "Do Not Track" signal and "Global Privacy Control" (GPC); we honour GPC by suppressing optional analytics. Disabling strictly necessary cookies will break sign-in, checkout, and parts of the Service.

9. Children

Globe Weaver is suitable for learners of all ages, but accounts and purchases are intended for adults or for educators and parents acting on behalf of minors. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children without parental or institutional consent.

10. Changes to this notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the notice was last revised.

11. Contact

Scholarium Inc. — support@globeonline.org