Privacy Policy
Playground Lab LLC ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website playgroundlab.org (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that information.
1. Information We Collect
We keep data collection to a minimum. The Site has no user accounts, login functionality, or forms. It uses consent-based analytics that record nothing until you accept them.
Information we do NOT collect: We do not require you to create an account or log in. We do not collect your name, email address, or any personal information through the Site itself. We do not process payments or collect financial information.
Information collected automatically: Our web server and our content delivery network may record standard log data when you visit the Site, including your IP address, browser type, and the date and time of your visit. This data is used solely for site security and diagnosing technical issues.
2. Information You Send Us
Applications, partnership inquiries, and media requests are sent by email to hello@playgroundlab.org rather than through a form on the Site. Anything you include in an email, such as your name, contact details, university, and resume, is used only to respond to you and to evaluate your application or inquiry. It is read by Playground Lab staff, kept for as long as the conversation or application process is active plus a reasonable period afterward, and not sold or shared with anyone outside Playground Lab except a university or partner you ask us to involve.
3. Third-Party Services
The Site is delivered through Cloudflare, Inc., a content delivery and security network that processes your IP address and sets a short-lived bot-protection cookie in order to serve the Site securely. We self-host all web fonts, so no font data or IP address is sent to a font provider. With your consent, we use Google Analytics 4, a service from Google LLC, to understand how visitors use the Site. It collects usage data such as the pages you view, your approximate location derived from your IP address, device and browser details, and a randomly generated identifier stored in cookies. The Google Analytics script is not loaded, and no usage data is sent to Google, until you accept analytics in our cookie banner. You can read more in Google's privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy and opt out with the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. We do not use advertising networks.
4. How We Use Information
The limited data described above is used only to serve and display the Site correctly, maintain site security and prevent abuse, diagnose technical issues, respond to messages you send us, and, where you consent, measure how the Site is used. Cloudflare and Google act as data processors on our behalf. We do not sell or rent your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties other than the processors described in this policy.
5. Cookies and Similar Storage
The Site sets a small number of strictly necessary cookies that do not require consent: security and session cookies from our web framework, which expire within two hours, and a bot-protection cookie from Cloudflare, which expires within thirty minutes. Your analytics choice is remembered in your browser's local storage under the key pl-analytics-consent so we do not ask again. If you accept analytics, Google Analytics sets its own cookies (such as _ga and _ga_*) to distinguish visitors and measure usage. Analytics cookies are set only after you accept them, and none are set if you decline.
6. Your Rights (CCPA / GDPR)
California residents: You may request details about what personal information we hold about you or request its deletion by emailing us. We do not sell or share your personal information.
European residents: You have the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict processing of your personal data, and to withdraw your analytics consent at any time using the "Analytics preferences" link in the footer of every page. Our legal basis is your consent for analytics, and our legitimate interest in maintaining site security for server log data.
7. Data Retention
Server logs are retained no longer than 7 days. Framework cookies expire within two hours. Google Analytics data is retained for up to 14 months. Email correspondence is kept as described in section 2.
8. Team Member Information
Names, photos, universities, and short biographies of cohort members, mentors, and leadership appear on the Site with each person's permission. If you are featured and want your information updated or removed, email us and we will act promptly.
9. Children's Privacy
The Site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected by the "Last Updated" date above.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at hello@playgroundlab.org