Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 7, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Syntaxiom ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you use our mobile application, website, and related services (collectively, the "Service"). The Service is operated by Syntaxiom Education.

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

When you register for an account, we collect:

• Email address — used for login and account recovery
• Username — your chosen display name on the platform
• Password — stored as a one-way hash, never in plaintext
• First and last name (optional)
• Role — student, teacher, parent, or administrator

1.2 Student-Specific Information

For student accounts (particularly those created by schools or teachers):

• Birth year and birth month (optional) — used to determine age-appropriate content and grade-level placement. We do not collect full birth dates (day).
• Parent contact — one of: parent email, parent phone, or parent WeChat ID (optional, required for non-class independent student accounts)
• Native language and bridge language — used to provide first-language translations and learning support
• Learning level — derived from birth year or placement test results

1.3 Learning Data

As you use the Service, we collect and store:

• Vocabulary study progress — words studied, mastery levels, correct/incorrect answer history, review streaks
• Placement test results — used to assign appropriate learning materials
• Quiz and assignment results — scores, answers, completion status
• Reading activity — books read, pages viewed, reading time
• Word lists — custom and assigned vocabulary lists
• Usage statistics — session duration, feature usage, app settings preferences

1.4 Audio Data

When you use pronunciation practice features:

• Voice recordings — short audio clips of your pronunciation are sent to our pronunciation scoring provider (iFlytek) for evaluation. Audio is processed in real-time and is not permanently stored on our servers. Scoring results (phoneme-level accuracy scores) are stored with your learning progress.
• Microphone access — required only when you actively use pronunciation features. The microphone is not accessed at any other time.

1.5 Uploaded Documents and Image Data

When you use the photo word lookup, scan-to-reader, or document transformation features, you may upload photos, scanned pages, PDF files, or EPUB files:

• Uploaded content — photos and document scans are processed for text recognition (OCR) and interactive document transformation. On the mobile app, processing occurs locally on your device. On the web version, images may be processed on our servers and are deleted immediately after text extraction. We do not retain, copy, or redistribute your uploaded documents.
• Transformed documents — the interactive reading documents created from your uploads (with word hotspots, dictionary integration, and reading tools) are stored locally on your device or in your personal account. They are for your personal use only and cannot be shared, exported, or redistributed outside of a linked family account. See our End User License Agreement for details.
• User responsibility — you are responsible for ensuring you have the legal right to use any content you upload (e.g., personal copy, fair use, educational use, or content you own). Syntaxiom does not verify ownership of uploaded content and is not liable for copyright infringement committed by users.
• Camera access — required only when you actively use scanning features.

1.6 Device and Technical Information

• Device type and operating system — for compatibility and optimization
• App version — for support and update management
• IP address — temporarily logged for security and abuse prevention
• Crash and error reports — anonymized technical data to improve app stability

1.7 Organization and Class Data

For users associated with schools or organizations:

• Organization membership — which school or institution you belong to
• Class enrollment — which classes you are enrolled in or teach
• Assignments — tasks assigned by teachers and completion records

2. Information We Do NOT Collect

• National ID numbers (身份证号) or government identification numbers
• Biometric data — we do not use fingerprint, facial recognition, or voiceprint identification
• Precise geolocation — we do not track your location
• Contacts or address book
• Browsing history outside the Service
• Financial information — payments are processed by Apple/Google in-app purchase systems; we do not store credit card numbers

3. How We Use Your Information

• To provide the Service — account access, learning content, progress tracking, personalized study recommendations
• To personalize learning — adapt vocabulary difficulty, question types, and review scheduling based on your performance
• To enable teacher and parent features — teachers can view student progress; parents can view child's learning activity
• To generate reports — learning progress reports for students, teachers, parents, and school administrators
• To improve the Service — aggregate, anonymized analytics to identify issues and improve features
• To communicate with you — account notifications, password resets, service updates
• To prevent abuse — rate limiting, fraud detection, and protection against data scraping
• To process uploaded documents — transform user-uploaded photos and documents into interactive reading materials for personal study use only

4. Data Sharing

4.1 Teachers and Schools

If you are a student enrolled in a class, your teacher and school administrators can view your learning progress, quiz results, and assignment completion. School administrators can manage student accounts within their organization.

4.2 Parents

If you are a student with a linked parent account, your parent can view your learning activity summary (time spent, words studied, assignments completed). Parents do not see your specific quiz answers or detailed learning content.

4.3 Service Providers

We use third-party services to operate certain features:

4.4 Legal Compliance

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government regulation, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our users or the Service.

4.5 No Sale of Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We do not use your data for advertising.

5. Data Storage and Cross-Border Transfer

5.1 Where Your Data Is Stored

• Authentication data (email, password) — stored on Supabase servers in Singapore
• Learning progress and sync data — for users in China, stored on Tencent Cloud servers in Beijing, China. For users outside China, stored on Supabase servers in Singapore.
• Local device storage — your learning database is cached locally on your device for offline access. This includes dictionary data, bridge translations, and your progress history.

5.2 Cross-Border Data Transfer

For users in mainland China, your email address and authentication credentials are processed by Supabase in Singapore. This constitutes a cross-border transfer of personal information under the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) of the People's Republic of China.

This transfer is conducted under the small-scale cross-border transfer exemption provided by the Provisions on Promoting and Regulating Cross-Border Data Flows (March 2024). We process personal information of fewer than 100,000 individuals per year, and the data transferred (email and authentication credentials) is classified as non-sensitive personal information under PIPL.

Your learning progress data, quiz results, and study activity are stored on servers located within mainland China and are not transferred outside of China.

5.3 Data Security

• All data in transit is encrypted using TLS/SSL
• Authentication credentials are stored using bcrypt hashing
• API credentials and service keys are stored in encrypted vaults
• Database access is restricted by role-based access control (RLS policies)
• Regular security reviews and access audits are conducted

6. Data Retention

• Active accounts: Your data is retained as long as your account is active
• School-released student accounts: When a school deactivates your account, you have a 30-60 day grace period to add a personal email and retain your account. During this period, your learning data remains accessible.
• Account deletion: You may request deletion of your account at any time. Deleted accounts enter a 30-day recovery period, after which all personal data is permanently removed. Anonymized aggregate statistics derived from your usage may be retained for product improvement.
• Audio data: Pronunciation recordings are processed in real-time and are not retained beyond the duration of the scoring request
• Uploaded images: Deleted immediately after OCR processing
• Uploaded documents (PDFs, EPUBs, scanned pages): Stored locally on the user's device only. On the web version, uploaded images are deleted from the server immediately after text extraction. Transformed interactive documents are stored with the user's account and are accessible only to that user or within a linked family account. They are not retained on our servers after account deletion.

7. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access — request a copy of your personal data
• Correction — request correction of inaccurate data
• Deletion — request deletion of your account and associated data
• Data portability — request an export of your learning data in a machine-readable format
• Withdraw consent — withdraw consent for data processing (may result in loss of access to certain features)
• Restriction — request restriction of processing in certain circumstances

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@syntaxiomedu.com.

8. Children's Privacy

The Service is designed for educational use by students of all ages, including young learners. For students under the age of 14:

• Account creation is typically handled by a parent, teacher, or school administrator
• We collect only the minimum information necessary: username, birth year/month (for age-appropriate content), and parent contact information
• We do not collect full birth dates, ID numbers, or biometric data
• Parents can access, review, and request deletion of their child's data at any time
• Learning data is shared with the child's teacher and school for educational purposes only

9. Cookies and Tracking

The mobile application does not use cookies. The website uses essential cookies for authentication and session management only. We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or third-party analytics that profile your behavior across other websites.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified through the Service or via email. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:

• Email: privacy@syntaxiomedu.com
• Website: www.syntaxiomedu.com

12. 隐私政策 (Chinese Summary)

本隐私政策的中文摘要如下。如中英文版本存在不一致，以英文版本为准。

• 信息收集：我们收集邮箱、用户名、出生年月（不含日）、家长联系方式、学习进度、测验成绩和发音录音（实时处理，不存储）
• 不收集的信息：身份证号、生物识别信息、精确位置、通讯录、财务信息
• 数据存储：学习数据存储在中国境内服务器（腾讯云北京），认证数据通过新加坡Supabase处理
• 跨境传输：仅传输邮箱和认证凭证至新加坡，符合《个人信息保护法》跨境传输豁免条件（年处理不满10万人，非敏感信息）
• 数据使用：仅用于提供教育服务、个性化学习、教师和家长报告，不用于广告，不出售给第三方
• 用户权利：访问、更正、删除、数据可携带、撤回同意
• 未成年人保护：14岁以下学生账号由家长、教师或学校创建，仅收集必要信息
• 联系方式：privacy@syntaxiomedu.com