Privacy Policy

Effective Date: March 9, 2017

Southern Methodist University (SMU) values your privacy so we have provided this policy to explain just what it is we collect from you, what we do with the data, and why we need it. We’ve written this policy in plain-spoken language, to make sure it’s easy to understand. However, even with the best of intentions, there’s no good way to avoid some technical talk. We’ll do our best to explain unfamiliar & technical terms throughout this policy.

Please be aware that your continued use of our applications and services is understood to be an acceptance of this privacy policy.

Who We Are & What We Do

People ForWords is a collaboration between SMU and Literacy Instruction for Texas (LIFT). We have come to together to develop the interactive game application Codex: The Lost Words of Atlantis (Codex) available on the world-wide web and the Google Play Store for Android devices. Codex is a platform to engage adult language learners and teach basic literacy skills through an interactive game-based learning program. The game is designed to reach and engage adults yet contains content suitable for all ages.

Data We Collect About You & How We Use It

All of the data we collect when you engage with Codex is to facilitate gameplay experiences, learning opportunities, and general application improvement. On both the world-wide web and Android platforms, we collect the following categories of data:

Email Address and User Name	We use your email address and user name provided through the relevant third-party authentication service (i.e. Google or Facebook login) to create your user account data.
Gameplay & Interaction Data	We track your progress throughout the game on our own servers. We also track when and how you interact with the game. We use this data to help develop improvements to the game service and to our teaching methodologies.

We do not collect, record, or monitor data transmitted between users who opt to use the in-game Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) feature. Any interactions with other users are at your own risk. We ask that you do not share personal information or use the service to engage in any unlawful or inappropriate conduct.

Android Permissions

The following table lists the permissions that Codex uses on the Android platform and their usage.

Permission	Usage
Identity Find accounts on the device	Used to allow a Google account to register and login to the game..
Contacts Find accounts on the device	Used to allow a Google account to register and login to the game.
Phone Read phone status and identity	Used to determine if Codex is running or in-focus, meaning the currently selected application.
Photos/Media/Files Access USB storage filesystem Read the contents of your USB storage Modify or delete the contents of yourUSB storage	Used to download, store, and access extra game data to your device like artwork, music, voice files, and sound effects.
Storage Read the contents of your USB storage Modify or delete the contents of yourUSB storage	Used to download, store, and access extra game data to your device like artwork, music, voice files, and sound effects.
Microphone Record audio	Used to record and transmit the user’s voice during Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connections between players from within the game.
Wi-Fi connection information View Wi-Fi connections	Used to allow Codex access to the internet.
Device ID & call information Read phone status and identity	Used to determine if Codex is running or in-focus, meaning the currently selected application.
Other View network connections Full network access Change your audio settings	This group of permissions has the following uses: * Used to access the internet for downloading game data (artwork, sound files, etc) to your device from our servers. * Used to communicate with our servers to access, store, and send relevant gameplay data like progress, achievements, and status. * Used to allow Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connections between players from within the game.

Third-Party Login Services

We make use of third-party login services to register account data with our servers and to login to your account. Our use of these third-party services is limited to collecting data needed to create a unique account for you on our service (email address and full name) and to validate that data when you use Codex. At this time, we do not collect information on your friends or other users that may also use our services. In the future, we may make use of these permissions or capabilities to provide enhanced services and gameplay features for Codex. If these changes occur, we will update this policy to reflect any additional data we collect and its usage.

How to Opt-Out of Data Collection

Codex only collects usage data when the application is running. Closing the application on Android or choosing to not visit the game’s site on the world-wide web means we are no longer collecting any of your data. You can also choose to opt-out on Android by uninstalling Codex using the normal uninstall methods of the platform.

Removing Your Data from Our Service

We will hold on to any user data we collect for as long as you use Codex and for a reasonable time after you stop using to support our on-going operations. If you would like us to delete any user data we have collected via Codex, please contact us at SimmonsIT@smu.edu and we will respond in a reasonable time. Please note that continuing to use Codex may require some or all of the user data in order for the game to function properly.

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Compliance

Codex is designed to address the adult language learner. Though the content is generally safe for all ages, at this time we are not targeting or designing systems to allow children under 13 to register an account. As such, we do not knowingly collect or solicit data from children under the age of 13. If we learn that we have collected information from a child under age 13 without parental consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. Please contact us at SimmonsIT@smu.edu if you believe that we have any information from or about a child under age 13.

Third Party Data Services

We may provide anonymized, aggregated user data to third party services as part of our efforts to improve Codex and affiliated services. We will only share information in ways outlined in this privacy policy. The following are the reasons why we may need to disclose your information to third parties:

as required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, or similar legal process;
when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request;
with our trusted services providers who work on our behalf, do not have an independent use of the information we disclose to them, and have agreed to adhere to the rules set forth in this privacy statement.
If Southern Methodist University is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, you will be notified via email and/or a prominent notice on our Web site of any change in ownership or uses of this information, as well as any choices you may have regarding this information.
to third party analytics companies as described in the section below

Automatic Data Collection

We may work with third party analytics companies to understand how Codex is being used. When sharing your information with these service providers we are interested in data like how often you use Codex and for how long. At this time, we are not making use of third-party analytics services but we reserve the right to do so in the future. If we do make use of a third-party analytics service, this section of the privacy documented will be updated to reflect procedures for anonymizing, transferring, and safeguarding your information.

Security of Your Data

We take reasonable measures to safeguard your data in accordance with common security practices on the internet, such as encrypted transfer of information from your device to our servers. However, no security practice is perfect and we cannot prevent all potential security breaches. We are also not responsible for the security practices of third-party login services use to create or access your account with us. Please make sure to follow any and all security policies of any third-party services you use to access Codex.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

This privacy policy is subject to change at any time, for any reason. We will attempt to you of any changes in a reasonable manner, including posting the new privacy policy at www.peopleforwords.org/privacy and via the email address provided to us through a third-party login service. Please check the privacy policy regularly to stay up-to-date on any changes. Your continued use of Codex on Android or the world-wide web is understood to be an acceptance of this privacy policy. If you do not accept changes to the privacy policy, please uninstall Codex from your device and/or cease using our offerings on the world-wide web.

How to Get in Touch with Us

If you need to contact someone from someone from SMU regarding Codex, please e-mail us at SimmonsIT@smu.edu.