Privacy policy.

1. Who is responsible for your information

StudyVCE is operated by Intelligence Education Technology Pty Ltd in Victoria, Australia. Where applicable data protection law uses the term “controller”, we are the controller for the processing described in this policy, unless a specific service notice identifies a different arrangement.

StudyVCE is independent of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. That organisation does not operate StudyVCE or control our handling of your personal information.

For privacy questions, requests or complaints, contact our privacy contact at hello@studyvce.net. You can also use our contact page.

This policy explains our practices; it is not a request for blanket consent. Where a particular use requires your consent, we ask for it separately.

2. Information we collect

The information involved depends on the features you use.

Payment-card entry is handled through the payment provider identified at checkout. Do not send card numbers or security codes to our support team or AI tools.

Some information is provided directly by you. Other information is generated as you use a feature or received from a provider you choose, such as a sign-in or payment provider. The permissions shown by a third-party sign-in service explain what it will share with us.

You can browse resources that do not require an account without giving us account details, although technical information may still be collected. Where information is necessary for a requested feature, not providing it may mean that the feature cannot work. For example, we cannot generate feedback on a document we have not received.

3. Why we use information

We use relevant information to:

• create and administer accounts, authenticate access and remember your settings;
• provide the learning resources and features you request, including AI responses and writing feedback;
• maintain learning progress and personalise study support using your selected subjects and activity;
• process purchases, manage subscriptions and respond to billing questions;
• answer enquiries, resolve complaints and provide support;
• investigate errors, maintain security and prevent fraud or misuse;
• understand how features perform and improve the service, subject to the limits on content use in section 4;
• send essential account, billing, security and service notices;
• send marketing where we have the permission or other lawful basis required; and
• meet legal obligations and establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

We limit collection and use to information reasonably needed for the relevant purpose. We do not use a general description such as “service improvement” as permission to train AI models on your private learning content.

4. AI tools, your work and model training

When you use an AI feature, we process the input and relevant context needed to produce a response. This can involve sending information to providers of language models, document processing, speech recognition, voice generation or related infrastructure. The relevant information may include text, uploaded files, transcripts and images, depending on the feature.

Google provides our AI and voice services. Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides our data storage infrastructure. Relevant inputs are sent to Google to process the AI or voice feature you request, and information needed for our service is stored using AWS infrastructure. The types of information involved depend on the feature, as described in section 2.

Using content to generate your requested response is different from using it to train or fine-tune a model. We do not use students' assignments or conversations, including voice content submitted in those conversations, to train or fine-tune AI models. We do not authorise our service providers to use that material for model training or fine-tuning.

We do not publish your private submissions, add them to a public example library or use them in advertising without separate permission. A service provider's processing for response generation, security or abuse prevention is not automatically the same as model training; those other uses must still be limited to the disclosed purpose and retention arrangements.

Authorised personnel or contracted providers may need access to relevant information to resolve a support issue, investigate misuse or maintain the service. Access is limited to a legitimate need. This does not mean that a teacher or human examiner routinely reviews your work.

AI-generated feedback and learning inferences can be wrong. You can ask us to correct inaccurate personal information and to review an issue through the contact details in section 1. Learning feedback is intended to support your study; it is not an official grade or an admission decision.

Do not upload information that the service does not need, such as candidate numbers, identity documents, medical records or another person's private details. Remove unnecessary identifying information from your work before submitting it. Where a feature legitimately needs sensitive information, we will provide an appropriate explanation and obtain any permission required by law.

5. Voice features and device permissions

When you use a voice feature, the audio you provide is processed to support the interaction you request. Your device or browser may ask for microphone permission. You can manage that permission in your device or browser settings.

Turning off a device permission stops future access through that permission; it does not by itself delete information already submitted. Contact us if you also want that information deleted.

6. Who receives information

We share relevant information only where needed for a purpose described in this policy or another use we explain to you lawfully.

• Service providers: providers supporting hosting, storage, authentication, AI processing, payments, communications, analytics, security and customer support. Where they process information on our behalf, we require them to handle it within the agreed purpose and appropriate privacy and security obligations.
• Services you choose: a third-party sign-in service, app store or community platform may process information under its own privacy notice when you use it. A provider may also have independent legal responsibilities, for example for payment fraud prevention.
• Professional advisers and authorities: where reasonably necessary to obtain advice, meet a legal obligation, respond to a valid legal process, protect safety or establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.
• Business transfers: where necessary for a proposed or completed merger, sale or restructure, with appropriate confidentiality and safeguards. A transfer does not give the recipient unrestricted permission to use your information for unrelated purposes.

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We do not provide your private work or conversations to educational or commercial partners for their own marketing without a separate, informed choice from you.

If you follow a link to another website, its privacy practices apply to information it collects directly. Our responsibility for information we disclose to a provider is not removed merely because the provider has its own privacy policy.

7. Cookies, analytics and embedded content

Cookies and similar technologies can support sign-in, preferences, security, measurement and embedded content such as video players. The information involved may include device identifiers, IP address and interactions with a page or feature.

Third-party embedded content may involve processing under the provider's own privacy notice. You can manage cookies through your browser settings, although blocking some cookies may affect sign-in or other functions.

Where applicable law requires consent for a non-essential technology, we must obtain that consent before using it. You can contact hello@studyvce.net to ask about cookies or exercise applicable privacy choices. Browser settings or acceptance of this policy do not replace any consent required by law.

8. International processing

StudyVCE operates from Australia and uses Google for AI and voice services and AWS for data storage. Information handled by our service providers may be processed outside your country of residence.

International transfers must meet the requirements of applicable privacy law. Where a transfer requires safeguards, we are responsible for ensuring that the required protections are in place. Contact hello@studyvce.net with questions about international processing or to request information about applicable safeguards. This policy does not treat your use of StudyVCE as blanket consent to an otherwise unlawful transfer.

9. Retention and deletion

We keep personal information for the period needed for the purpose for which it was collected, taking account of your choices, the nature of the information, applicable legal requirements and a specific continuing need such as an unresolved dispute. We do not keep information indefinitely simply because storage is available.

In deciding how long information is needed, we consider:

• whether it is necessary to provide your account, requested feedback or saved learning history;
• whether an enquiry, payment issue or security incident remains unresolved;
• whether you have requested deletion or withdrawn consent for the relevant use; and
• whether a legal recordkeeping obligation or an existing legal claim requires limited retention.

We delete information or take appropriate steps to de-identify it when there is no remaining lawful need to retain it. Removing a name alone is not sufficient if the person can still reasonably be identified.

You can request account or content deletion at hello@studyvce.net. We may need to verify the request. If information must be retained, we will explain the relevant category and reason, unless the law prevents us from doing so. Retained information remains protected and is restricted to the purpose that justifies keeping it.

Where a service provider processes information on our behalf, we take the steps required by applicable law to address a valid deletion request with that provider as well.

Account deletion and subscription cancellation are separate actions. Tell us if you want both, particularly where a purchase is managed through an app store or another seller.

10. Children and young people

StudyVCE is designed for VCE students, including teenagers. Our accounts and features that collect information directly from a user are not intended for children under 13. A higher minimum age or parental permission may be required for a particular activity where you live.

If we learn that we have collected information from a child below the applicable age without a lawful basis or required parental permission, we will restrict the relevant processing and take appropriate steps to delete the information, except where limited retention is legally required.

Where consent is required, we consider the young person's ability to understand the proposed use and any applicable age rules. We seek a parent's or guardian's permission where required. Asking someone to accept this policy does not replace those requirements.

A parent or guardian can contact us with a concern or request. We may need to verify their authority and consider the young person's own privacy rights before disclosing information. Parental payment alone does not give unrestricted access to a student's private conversations.

11. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information against misuse, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure, taking account of the information and risks involved.

No online service can guarantee absolute security. If a personal-data incident occurs, we investigate, take appropriate containment and remediation steps, and notify affected people and regulators where the law requires it.

Keep your sign-in credentials private and contact us if you suspect an account or data security problem. Do not send passwords or full payment-card information in a support message.

12. Your choices and rights

Depending on the law that applies and the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• ask whether we hold personal information about you and obtain access to it;
• correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• request deletion or restriction of processing;
• object to processing, including direct marketing;
• receive certain information in a portable format;
• withdraw consent for a use that relies on consent; and
• complain to a relevant privacy or data protection authority.

Contact hello@studyvce.net to make a request. Explain what you would like us to do and provide enough information to locate the relevant account or record. We will only ask for identification reasonably necessary to verify your identity or authority.

We respond within the period required by applicable law. Where European or UK data protection law applies, this is generally within one month, subject to permitted extensions. If we need more time or cannot fully fulfil a request, we explain why and describe the review or complaint options available, unless the law prevents that explanation. Any fee must be permitted by law and explained in advance.

You can opt out of marketing using the unsubscribe link in a message or by contacting us. For marketing subject to Australia's Spam Act, we give effect to a valid unsubscribe request within five working days. Essential account, billing or security notices may still be sent when needed; they are not a reason to keep sending marketing.

13. Additional information for the EEA and UK

This section applies where the GDPR or UK GDPR governs our processing of your information.

Our legal basis depends on the purpose:

We do not rely on a contract to justify processing that is unnecessary for the service you request. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

The rights in section 12 and transfer safeguards in section 8 apply as required by law. You may complain to the data protection authority in the EEA country where you live or work, or where the alleged infringement occurred, or to the UK Information Commissioner's Office where relevant.

AI study feedback is intended to help you learn, rather than to make decisions with legal or similarly significant effects about you. If a service involves a decision of that kind, we must provide a specific explanation and the safeguards required by law before using it for that purpose.

14. Privacy complaints

Email hello@studyvce.net with the subject “Privacy complaint” and explain the concern. We will acknowledge it, investigate the relevant facts and provide a response explaining our findings and any action. If the investigation needs more time, we will keep you informed.

You may also contact a relevant regulator. In Australia, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner explains its jurisdiction and complaint process. Other regulators and local rights may apply depending on where you live and the processing concerned.

Nothing in this policy prevents you from exercising a statutory right or contacting an authority directly.

15. Changes to this policy

We update this policy when our practices or relevant requirements change and show the current version date above. For material changes, we will provide a prominent notice or contact affected account holders as appropriate before the change takes effect, unless an urgent legal or security requirement makes earlier action necessary.

A new version does not, by itself, authorise a new purpose for information already collected. We will obtain fresh consent where required and explain material new processing before it begins.

16. Contact

Privacy contact
Intelligence Education Technology Pty Ltd
Victoria, Australia
Email: hello@studyvce.net