Privacy Policy

TCF Coach is operated by Arctic Studio, a business registered in Ontario, Canada ("we", "us"). This policy explains what personal information we collect when you use tcfcoach.co and the TCF Coach practice app, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. We are responsible for this information under Canadian privacy law, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

1. What we collect

Information you give us

• Account details: your email address and password (stored only as a secure hash). If you sign in with Google, we receive your email address and Google account ID instead of a password.
• Practice preferences: your target CEFR level and the language you want feedback explanations in.
• Your practice work: the texts you write, the audio you record for speaking tasks, transcripts of that audio, the feedback generated for each attempt, and mistakes you bookmark.
• Messages: your email address and anything you write when you email us. If you use the contact form, we also keep your name, your IP address and your browser details with the message, to reply to you and to block spam.

Payment information

Payments are handled entirely by Stripe. We never receive or store your card number. We keep your Stripe customer ID and your subscription's plan, status and dates so we know what you have access to.

Information collected automatically

• Error and performance data: when something goes wrong or a page is slow, we record technical details such as the page or request involved, your browser and operating system, your IP address and an approximate location derived from it, so we can find and fix the problem.
• Server logs: our servers keep standard request logs for security and troubleshooting.

2. How we use it

• to create and run your account and let you sign in;
• to grade your writing and speaking, transcribe your recordings, and show your history;
• to manage subscriptions and give you access to what you've paid for;
• to answer your messages and send you service emails (for example, about your account or billing);
• to keep the service secure, prevent abuse, and fix errors.

We don't sell your personal information, we don't show ads, and we don't use your submissions to train AI models.

3. Who we share it with

We share personal information only with service providers that help us run TCF Coach, and only what each one needs:

• Amazon Web Services hosts our servers, database and audio recordings.
• OpenAI receives your written submissions, speaking transcripts and audio recordings in order to transcribe and grade them. Under OpenAI's API terms, this data is not used to train their models. OpenAI may keep it for up to 30 days to monitor for abuse.
• Stripe processes payments and manages subscriptions.
• Google verifies your identity if you choose to sign in with Google.
• Sentry receives the error and performance data described above.
• Purelymail hosts our email, including messages you send us.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect the rights, safety or property of our users or of Arctic Studio.

4. Where your information is stored

Our servers and database are located in the United States, and most of the providers above process data there. This means your information may be accessible to authorities in those countries under their laws. We rely on our providers' contractual commitments to protect it.

5. How long we keep it

• We keep your account and practice history for as long as your account exists, so you can look back on your progress.
• If you ask us to delete your account, we delete your account details, submissions, recordings and feedback within 30 days. Database backups are overwritten within a few days after that.
• We keep billing records for as long as tax and accounting laws require, even after your account is deleted.

6. Your rights

You can ask us to:

• give you a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• correct information that's inaccurate;
• delete your account and personal information; or
• explain how your information has been used or shared.

Email support@tcfcoach.co from the address on your account. We'll reply within 30 days. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, or, if you live in Quebec, to the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec.

7. Cookies and local storage

We don't use advertising or analytics cookies. Your browser stores only what the site needs to work: your sign-in, your progress and draft answer in a timed exam (so a page refresh doesn't lose them), and your light or dark theme choice. Stripe sets its own cookies on its checkout and billing pages.

8. Security

We protect your information with encryption in transit (HTTPS), hashed passwords, restricted access to our systems, and providers with strong security practices. No system is completely secure. If a breach affects your personal information in a way that creates a real risk of significant harm, we'll notify you and the regulator as the law requires.

9. Children

TCF Coach is designed for adults preparing for the TCF Canada exam and isn't directed at children. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we'll delete it.

10. Changes to this policy

We'll update the "last updated" date above when this policy changes. For significant changes, we'll notify you by email.

11. Contact

Our privacy officer is responsible for how TCF Coach handles personal information. You can reach them at support@tcfcoach.co.