Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 15, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what information OpenLab Science collects when you use our website and how we use it.
1. Overview
OpenLab Science operates https://www.openlabscience.com. We collect limited information to operate the site, respond to feedback, and understand aggregate usage. We do not sell your personal information. OpenLab Science is an independent project with no advertising and is responsible for the personal information described in this policy (the data controller). For any privacy question or request, write to contact@openlabscience.com.
2. Information we collect
Contact form: if you submit our contact form, we receive the name, email address, message category, and message text you provide. Usage data: we may collect anonymized or aggregated analytics such as page views and performance metrics. AI tutor questions: when you ask the built-in AI tutor a question, the question text is sent to our AI provider to generate the answer. Local storage: your browser may store your language preference (openlab.lang) so the site remembers your choice.
3. How we use information
We use contact-form submissions to respond to bugs, ideas, questions, and collaboration inquiries. We use analytics to understand how the Service is used and to improve performance and content. We use language preferences to display the site in your chosen language.
4. Third-party services
The Service is hosted on Vercel. Contact-form messages may be processed by Web3Forms (or a similar form-delivery provider configured by us). We may use Vercel Analytics and Vercel Speed Insights for aggregate usage and performance data. The built-in AI tutor sends your question, the current scene, and measurements through our server to a third-party AI provider. When you supply your own API key, requests still pass through our server (so the question is recorded for the same usage analysis) and are forwarded to your chosen provider; your key is used to make the request and is never stored. These requests are governed by the provider's terms and privacy policy. If you request an answer key or subscribe to updates, your email address and request are processed by our email platform Loops (loops.so), which stores the contact and delivers the requested email.
5. Product analytics (PostHog)
The Service loads PostHog for product analytics (no cookies, no session recording, no autocapture; events are configured in-memory). PostHog receives page views and named interaction events such as "lab started", "tutorial completed", and "pack exported", together with their contextual properties. On first visit, a random browser identifier (openlab.visitorId) is stored in local storage so we can count unique visitors; it contains no personal information and is never shared. No student-identifying data is sent. PostHog's privacy practices are governed by PostHog Inc.'s own policy as our subprocessor.
6. Cookies and local storage
We use browser local storage for your language preference, your saved lab scenes and notebook entries, teacher grading data such as the grade book and comment banks, and answer-key unlock state. Analytics providers may use cookies or similar technologies as described in their own policies. You can clear site data through your browser settings.
7. Data retention
We retain contact-form correspondence for as long as needed to respond and maintain records of support and licensing inquiries. AI tutor questions may be stored for up to 12 months for quality and study-pattern analysis; they are never sold or shared, and are deleted by an administrator on request or when the retention period ends. Analytics data is retained according to our analytics providers' policies.
8. Your choices and rights
You may choose not to submit the contact form. You may clear local storage or block analytics through your browser. Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal information we hold about you. Contact us to make a request.
9. Legal bases and complaints
Where the EU or UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, we rely on these legal bases: for contact-form messages and answer-key requests, taking the steps you ask for (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR); for update emails, your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you can withdraw at any time; for analytics, the AI tutor, running and securing the Service, and emails to educators, our legitimate interest in providing a free educational service and making it known (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). You may object at any time to processing based on legitimate interest. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data-protection supervisory authority, in particular in the country where you live or work.
10. Emails to teachers and institutions
We sometimes email teachers, librarians, and faculty to introduce OpenLab Science. For this we use work contact details from publicly available sources, such as a school or institution's website: name, work email address, institution, country and, where published, role or subject. We keep these details and any correspondence only to manage this outreach. If you do not want to hear from us, reply to any of our emails or write to contact@openlabscience.com and we will not email you again. You can also ask us to delete your details; we then keep only what we need to honor that request.
11. Children
The Service is intended for students and educators. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without appropriate consent. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps.
12. Schools and student evidence
Students use the lab without any account or login. Everything a student produces — scenes, notebook entries, trials, and exported evidence packs — stays in their browser and on their device; OpenLab does not receive, store, or process that student work. (The in-lab AI tutor is the one exception: a student's question and a minimal scene summary are sent through the OpenLab server to the AI provider, and the question text is stored for up to 12 months for quality and usage analysis — see §4 and §7.) There is no student roster, submission inbox, or grading server. A teacher receives evidence packs only when a student deliberately exports the file and sends it through the school's own channel (email, shared drive, or LMS). School reviewers should therefore assess the Service under COPPA/FERPA primarily on the teacher-account side: the only email ever collected is a teacher's, submitted voluntarily for an answer key or the contact form.
13. For reviewers and directory editors
The only email address the Service ever captures is a teacher's — submitted voluntarily to receive an answer-key access link, or through the contact form. No student account, student login, or student personal information is ever required or collected. We use Vercel Analytics and Vercel Speed Insights for aggregate, anonymized usage metrics; no third party beyond those already named in this policy receives any data. No formal accessibility audit has been conducted to date — we do not claim WCAG conformance at any level, and will update this section if and when an audit is completed.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will change when we do.
15. Contact
Privacy questions or requests: contact@openlabscience.com