MESH by 812 Labs ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy, especially for students aged 14 and older. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Platform.

FERPA Compliance: We comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) when handling student educational records. We do not share student educational records without proper consent as required by FERPA.

Minimum Age: Our platform is intended for users aged 14 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 14.

By using MESH, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

Personal Information

We collect information that identifies you as an individual, including:

• Name, email address, phone number
• Account credentials (username, password)
• Profile information (bio, interests, skills)
• Photos and documents you upload
• Date of birth (for age verification)

Student Information (Ages 14+)

• Users must be at least 14 years old to create an account.
• We do not knowingly collect information from children under 14.
• If we learn we have collected data from a child under 14, we will delete it immediately.
• Parents of students under 18 may request access to, correction of, or deletion of their child's information by contacting us.
• FERPA Protection: Student educational records are protected under FERPA and are not shared without proper consent.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Create and manage your account
• Match students with internship and mentorship opportunities
• Track work hours for diploma compliance (Seal of Biliteracy, Career Readiness)
• Facilitate communication between students, businesses, parents, and schools
• Enable parental monitoring and approval workflows for students under 18
• Verify student enrollment and business legitimacy
• Improve the Platform and develop new features
• Ensure safety, security, and compliance with FERPA and other regulations
• Review flagged content and enforce our Terms of Service

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We share information only as described below:

• With Other Users: Student profile information (name, school, grade, skills, interests, bio) is visible to businesses when students apply to opportunities or connect with businesses
• With Schools: Schools can view students affiliated with their institution and aggregate data about student participation (enrollment, work hours, diploma progress)
• With Parents: Linked parents can view their child's activity, applications, messages, and work hours based on parental permission settings
• With Partner Organizations (Chambers, ROI): Aggregated regional data (no personally identifiable information)
• With Service Providers: Trusted third-party providers who help us operate our platform (cloud hosting, email services, analytics) under strict confidentiality agreements
• For Legal Reasons: To comply with legal obligations, court orders, or protect our rights and safety

FERPA Compliance: Student educational records are NOT shared with third parties without proper consent as required by FERPA. Information students provide directly to our platform (skills, interests, work experience) is NOT considered an educational record under FERPA.

4. Data Security

We use industry-standard security practices to protect your information:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure authentication (OAuth, JWT tokens)
• Access controls and role-based permissions
• Regular security audits and updates

Note: No system is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for protecting your account credentials.

5. Your Privacy Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal information
• Correct inaccurate information
• Delete your account and data
• Export your data (data portability)
• Opt out of marketing communications

To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected] or update information through account settings.

6. Parental Rights

Parents of students under 18 have the right to:

• Review their child's account and profile information
• Request corrections or deletion of their child's information
• Control parental monitoring and approval settings (view applications, messages, approve opportunities)
• Revoke consent for their child's use of the platform
• Link their parent account to their child's student account for monitoring

To exercise parental rights, create a parent account and request to link with your child's account, or contact us at [email protected] with proof of parental relationship.

7. FERPA Compliance (Student Educational Records)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student educational records. We comply with FERPA when handling information that qualifies as educational records.

What is an Educational Record?

Educational records include information directly related to a student and maintained by an educational institution or party acting on its behalf. This may include grades, transcripts, disciplinary records, and contact information.

Our FERPA Commitments

• School Consent: We obtain consent from schools before accessing or using student educational records
• Limited Use: Educational records are used only for the purposes authorized by the school
• No Unauthorized Disclosure: We do not share educational records with third parties without proper consent
• Parent/Student Rights: Parents and eligible students (18+) have the right to review and request corrections to educational records

Non-Educational Records

Information students provide directly to our platform (skills, interests, work experience, bio) is NOT considered an educational record under FERPA. Students control this information and choose what to share with businesses.

8. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies to:

• Essential cookies: Required for Platform functionality (login, security)
• Analytics cookies: Track usage patterns and improve the Platform
• Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but this may limit Platform functionality.

9. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Retention periods vary by data type:

• Account Information: Retained until account deletion (30 days after deletion request)
• Work Hour Logs: Retained for 7 years for compliance and record-keeping purposes
• Messages: Retained for 2 years or until account deletion
• Audit Logs: Retained for 1 year for security and compliance purposes
• Flagged Content: Retained for 3 years for trust and safety purposes

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy at any time. Changes will be posted on this page with a new "Last Updated" date. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, contact us:

MESH by 812 Labs
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://812labs.com