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Privacy Policy

​Last Updated: 11th Apr 2026

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Open Ideas Lab (“Open Ideas Lab,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a not-for-profit initiative committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and inspiring platform for young learners to explore real-world problems through curiosity-driven thinking.

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Protecting the privacy, safety, and rights of children and families is central to our mission. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and the choices available to parents/guardians.

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1. Who This Policy Applies To

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This Privacy Policy applies to:

  • Parents or legal guardians who create and manage accounts

  • Student learners aged 13+, who participate under a parent/guardian account

  • Mentors, reviewers, scientists, and advisors

  • Visitors to the Open Ideas Lab website

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Important: Students under 18 cannot create accounts independently. All participation occurs under a verified parent or legal guardian account.

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2. Our Guiding Principles

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We design privacy around these principles:

  • Child-first & safety-first

  • Data minimization (collect only what is necessary)

  • No sale of personal data

  • No behavioral advertising to children

  • Transparency and parental control

  • Educational purpose only

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3. Information We Collect

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3.1 Information Provided by Parents/Guardians

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When a parent or guardian creates an account, we may collect:

  • Full name

  • Email address

  • Country of residence

  • Relationship to the child

  • Account login credentials

  • Communication preferences

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This information is used only to manage the child’s participation and communication with Open Ideas Lab.

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3.2 Information About Student Learners (13+)

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Collected only through the parent/guardian account:

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  • First name or chosen display name (pseudonyms encouraged)

  • Age or age range

  • Country/region (non-precise)

  • Areas of interest (e.g., climate, health, math)

  • Submitted ideas, projects, or responses to problem statements

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We do not require:

  • Full legal names

  • Exact addresses

  • Phone numbers

  • Government identifiers

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3.3 Submitted Content

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This includes:

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  • Idea descriptions

  • Documents, drawings, or files

  • Group project submissions

  • Feedback received from mentors or reviewers

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Parents control whether submissions are public, private, or anonymized.

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3.4 Information from Mentors & Reviewers

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For experts and mentors, we may collect:

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  • Name and professional affiliation

  • Area of expertise

  • Email address

  • Optional biography and photo

  • Feedback provided to students

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3.5 Automatically Collected Information

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We may collect limited technical data:

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  • Device type and browser

  • General location (country-level only)

  • IP address (used for security, fraud prevention)

  • Website usage analytics (pages visited, time spent)

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We do not use invasive tracking or profiling for children.

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4. How We Use Information

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We use information solely to:

  • Operate and improve the platform

  • Enable student participation in problem challenges

  • Facilitate mentor review and structured feedback

  • Communicate with parents/guardians

  • Ensure platform safety and integrity

  • Recognize outstanding ideas (with consent)

  • Meet legal and safeguarding obligations

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5. Public vs Private Content

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By default:

  • Student profiles are private

  • Submissions are not publicly visible

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With explicit parental consent, we may:

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  • Showcase anonymized ideas

  • Highlight selected projects

  • Share success stories (first name or pseudonym only)

Parents may revoke consent at any time.

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​6. Data Sharing & Disclosure

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We do not sell or rent data.

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We may share limited data only with:

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  • Approved mentors/reviewers (anonymized where possible)

  • Technology service providers (hosting, security, email)

  • Legal authorities, if required by law

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All partners are contractually bound to confidentiality and child-safety standards.

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7. International Participation & Data Transfers

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OpenIdeasLab is a global platform.

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Data may be processed or stored outside your country of residence, but we ensure:

  • Adequate safeguards

  • Secure data transfer mechanisms

  • Compliance with applicable international standards

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8. Data Retention

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We retain data only as long as necessary:

  • Active accounts: retained during participation

  • Inactive accounts: reviewed periodically

  • Deleted accounts: data removed or anonymized within a reasonable timeframe

  • Legal obligations may require limited retention

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9. Data Security

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We use industry-standard safeguards, including:

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  • Encrypted data storage

  • Secure servers

  • Access controls

  • Regular security reviews

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While no system is 100% secure, protecting children’s data is a top priority.

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10. Cookies & Analytics

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We use minimal cookies for:

  • Essential website functionality

  • Basic analytics to improve the platform

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We do not:

  • Use third-party ad trackers

  • Target children with advertising

  • Profile students for commercial purposes

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11. Third-Party Links

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Our platform may include links to educational resources. We are not responsible for third-party privacy practices. Parents are encouraged to review external privacy policies.

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12. Changes to This Policy

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We may update this Privacy Policy periodically.

If changes are material:

  • Parents will be notified

  • Continued use implies acceptance

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The latest version will always be available on our website.

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13. Contact Us

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For questions, concerns, or requests:

📧 contact@openideaslab.org
🌍 www.openideaslab.org

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