Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data ClipGuide (clipguide.org, “we”, “us”) collects, why we collect it, who we share it with and the rights you have over it under UK data protection law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018). ClipGuide is the controller for the personal data described here. Contact: support@clipguide.org.

1. What we collect

• Account data: your name, email address, password (stored only as a secure hash by our authentication provider, never in plain text), training stage, a profile photo if you choose to add one, and when you signed up and last signed in.
• Study data: your quiz answers and scores, simulator and clinical-scenario attempts, flashcard ratings, streaks and active days, which sections you have completed, a running count of the pages you have opened, competency self-ratings, study plans, checklists, and the planner and presentation content you create in the CLiP tools.
• Things you send us: messages and images you send through the in-app inbox, your answers to the optional in-app feedback prompt (a star rating, a short review and a private suggestion; or, if you close it, a note on your account so it isn't shown again), questions you flag as wrong or unclear, bug reports, and any email or WhatsApp message you send to support.
• Notification data: if you turn on study reminders, the push subscription your browser creates (a delivery address and encryption keys for that browser). It does not include your phone number or device name.
• Payment data: when you subscribe to CLIP Premium, Stripe collects your card or wallet details on its own secure checkout page. We receive and store your subscription status, the amount and currency paid, start and renewal dates and Stripe's reference for the subscription. We never see or store your card number.
• Technical data: the sign-in tokens that keep you logged in, the server and security logs produced by our hosting providers, and short-lived counters used to limit repeated requests (for example password-reset attempts). Those counters store only a one-way hash of your account ID, email address or IP address, not the value itself.

We do not ask for health information or any other special category data about you. Please do not enter patient-identifiable information anywhere in ClipGuide, including in planners, logbook and presentation tools, messages, images or feedback. Anonymise anything you record, as your training provider and the College require.

2. How we use it and our lawful bases

• To provide the Service (contract): running your account, saving and syncing your progress across devices, personalising practice (for example suggesting your weakest topic), and giving you Premium access during a free trial, a promotion or a paid subscription.
• To take payment and keep records (contract and legal obligation): processing your subscription and keeping the financial records that tax and accounting law requires.
• To send service emails (contract): welcome emails, password-reset and password-changed notices, and payment receipts. These are needed to run your account and cannot be switched off.
• To send progress emails(legitimate interests: helping you keep studying): a weekly summary on Mondays, and a single “pick up where you left off” email if you have not used ClipGuide for 7 days or more. Turning off the weekly progress email in Settings stops both.
• To send study reminders (consent): push notifications, for example when flashcards are due, are only sent if you switch them on and your browser asks for your permission. You can turn them off at any time in ClipGuide or in your browser or device settings.
• To show the leaderboard (legitimate interests: motivating study): the dashboard shows other signed-in users the top three students for question accuracy and flashcard confidence, once a minimum amount of activity has been reached. Students are identified by initials only.
• To share student reviews(legitimate interests: promoting ClipGuide): the feedback prompt tells you before you write your review that we may use it to promote ClipGuide on the site, in emails or on social media. Reviews are credited only to your initials and your year group or the date you joined, never your name or email address. Reviews of four or five stars may appear on our homepage. Your private “what would make ClipGuide more useful” answer is never published. You can ask us to stop using your review at any time.
• To support you and improve the Service (legitimate interests): answering your messages, fixing flagged questions and reported bugs, and learning from feedback and aggregate usage.
• To keep the Service safe (legitimate interests): preventing abuse and fraud, securing accounts and debugging problems.

We do not sell your data, we do not use it for third-party advertising, and we do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that have legal or similarly significant effects.

3. Who can see your data

• ClipGuide administrators: a small number of authorised people can see your account details, plan, study statistics, feedback, flagged questions and the messages and images you send us. They use this access only to run the Service and support you.
• Other users: only the leaderboard initials and published review credit described above. Nothing else about you is shown to other users.
• Our service providers, which process data on our behalf under contract:
  • Supabase: database, authentication and file storage;
  • Vercel: website hosting, scheduled jobs and cookieless analytics;
  • Resend: email delivery;
  • Stripe: payment processing. Stripe also acts as an independent controller for its own fraud-prevention and legal obligations, under its own privacy policy;
  • your browser's push service (for example Google, Apple, Mozilla or Microsoft), which delivers study reminders if you turn them on.
• WhatsApp (Meta): if you choose to contact us on WhatsApp, your messages are handled under WhatsApp's own terms and privacy policy.
• Authorities: where we are required to by law.

4. International transfers

Some of our service providers store or process data outside the UK, including in the European Economic Area and the United States. Where they do, the transfer is covered by safeguards recognised under UK law, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.

5. How long we keep it

• Account data, study data, feedback, messages and notification subscriptions: while your account exists.
• If you delete your account (Settings → Delete account), your sign-in account is deleted immediately and, with it, your profile, progress and study history, feedback and reviews, flagged questions, messages and notification subscriptions. Images attached to messages are held separately in file storage and are not yet removed automatically. Email us and we will delete them.
• Payment records: kept by Stripe and in our accounts for as long as tax and accounting law requires (generally six years), even after your account is deleted.
• Support emails and WhatsApp messages: for as long as needed to deal with your query.
• Logs and backups: for the limited periods set by our hosting and database providers, after which they are overwritten.

6. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you can ask us to:

• provide a copy of the personal data we hold about you (access);
• correct inaccurate data (rectification);
• delete your data (erasure);
• restrict or object to certain processing, including the use of your review or your place on the leaderboard;
• provide your data in a portable format (portability).

Where we rely on your consent, such as for push notifications, you can withdraw it at any time. You can also update your name, stage and profile photo on your Profile page, change email preferences in Settings, and delete your account in Settings.

To exercise any right, email support@clipguide.orgfrom your account address. We may need to confirm your identity. We will respond within one month, and there is normally no charge. If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).

7. Cookies and similar technologies

ClipGuide stores only what it needs to work on your device:

• Sign-in session: authentication tokens kept in your browser's local storage so you stay logged in.
• Study cache and preferences: a copy of your study data so pages load quickly, plus settings such as whether you have seen the guided tour, the feedback prompt or the CLiP acknowledgement.
• Offline support: a service worker that keeps an offline page and some site files on your device so ClipGuide copes with a poor connection.

We use Vercel Web Analytics for aggregate, cookieless page-view statistics. It does not identify you or track you across sites. When you pay, you are taken to Stripe's checkout page, which sets its own cookies for security and fraud prevention under Stripe's cookie policy. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. Because everything ClipGuide stores on your device is needed for the features you use, no cookie consent banner is required.

8. Security

All traffic to ClipGuide is encrypted in transit. Database access rules mean each account can reach only its own records. Administrator access is restricted. Card details never pass through our servers. No online service can be completely secure, so please use a strong, unique password. If we become aware of a breach that puts your data at risk, we will tell you and the ICO where the law requires.

9. Children

The Service is intended for optometry students and qualified professionals and is not directed at children. You must be at least 16 to create an account.

10. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we will update this page and tell you by email or in-app notice before they take effect. The date at the top shows when this policy last changed.

11. Contact

Questions about this policy or your data: support@clipguide.org