Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 29, 2026

Last updated: October 29, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how BSMS Web (“BSMS Web,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) handles information in connection with the website and its features, including accounts, profiles, chat, games, announcements, and support or reporting tools. It is intended to explain our practices in plain language; it is not a guarantee that every feature or provider operates identically at all times.

BSMS Web is an independent project and should not be understood as an official school service or as endorsed by Boiling Springs Middle School unless that relationship has been expressly confirmed by the relevant school authority.

1. Information We May Handle

• Account and profile information: Information submitted to create or manage an account, such as a username, display name, profile details, and optional bio or other fields provided by a feature.
• User-submitted content: Information submitted through supported features, such as chat messages, profile content, game progress, announcements, and support or moderation reports. Content may be visible to other users depending on the feature and its settings.
• Authentication and browser storage: Browser storage, including Local Storage or similar mechanisms, may be used to maintain sessions, remember settings, or make features work. Anyone with access to an unlocked or shared device may be able to interact with the account.
• Technical and security information: When a browser connects to the service, hosting, network, and infrastructure providers may process IP addresses, request timestamps, browser or device information, and diagnostic, abuse-prevention, or security logs.
• Usage analytics: Vercel Web Analytics may receive information about page views, referrals, and configured interactions, along with related technical information. Google Analytics 4 is not currently used by BSMS Web.
• Moderation and support information: Text submitted through supported features may be checked by automated moderation tools. Reports may include the content and context necessary to investigate an issue.

Please avoid submitting passwords, authentication tokens, home addresses, phone numbers, precise location, or other sensitive personal information in profiles, public content, or chat.

2. How Information Is Used

Information may be used to operate requested features; create and authenticate accounts; display profiles and supported content; maintain chat history or game progress; respond to reports; provide support; detect spam, abuse, or security issues; enforce the Terms of Service; diagnose technical problems; and understand usage so the service can be maintained and improved.

3. Hosting, Infrastructure, and Service Providers

When configured, text submitted through supported features may be sent to OpenAI's Moderation API for automated safety classification and may also be checked by an application-level profanity filter. These checks can produce mistakes and are not perfect assessments of intent. If a required moderation check is unavailable, a submission may be rejected rather than accepted without the check.

Providers process data under their own terms, privacy documentation, and service settings. Their involvement and the exact data handled may change as BSMS Web changes. We do not promise that every provider receives only the same categories of information for every request.

4. Analytics

BSMS Web currently uses Vercel Web Analytics to understand general website usage. Google Analytics 4 is not loaded. Do not put private messages, passwords, or other sensitive information into fields or interactions that may be measured. Vercel may process technical information such as page views, referral information, browser and device details, and approximate location derived from network information. Review Vercel's privacy documentation for additional details.

5. Chat, Public Content, and Retention

Information may be retained for as long as reasonably needed to provide features, maintain account or conversation history, handle reports, protect service integrity, and meet operational or legal needs. Signing out or closing a browser does not necessarily delete account information or messages.

Content shared with other users may be viewed, copied, or saved by recipients. Editing or deleting content in the interface may not immediately remove every copy from backups, logs, caches, or systems operated by service providers. Retention periods may differ by data type and system; this policy does not promise a specific deletion deadline unless a feature expressly states one.

6. Account Access and Deletion

Where account tools provide them, users may be able to review, export, or request deletion of account information. The available scope depends on the feature and current implementation. Deletion may not instantly remove information from backups, security logs, or systems where temporary retention is needed for security, integrity, or legal obligations. Follow the information shown in the relevant account flow when making a request.

7. Security

We use safeguards intended to protect the service and its information, but no website, device, network connection, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure. Users should keep credentials private, use devices responsibly, sign out on shared devices where appropriate, and report suspected account misuse or vulnerabilities through available support or reporting channels. Do not send passwords or session tokens in reports.

8. Children and School-Age Users

BSMS Web may be accessed by school-age users. The service is not a place to publish sensitive personal information. Depending on a user's age, location, and the way a feature collects information, additional legal requirements or parent/guardian involvement may apply. A policy acknowledgment does not replace any separate consent that applicable law requires. Parents or guardians with a privacy concern should use available support or reporting channels.

9. Choices and Requests

You can choose what information to submit, avoid including sensitive details in content, use account tools that are available to review or request deletion of supported data, and adjust browser privacy or storage settings. Disabling storage or scripts may affect sign-in and other features. Browser settings do not necessarily delete information already held by BSMS Web or its providers.

10. Changes to This Policy

This policy may be revised as features, infrastructure, providers, or data practices change. The effective date above identifies the version currently published on this page. If a change requires renewed acknowledgment, BSMS Web may ask users to review and acknowledge the updated policy before continuing to use authenticated features. Merely continuing to use the website is not intended to replace an affirmative acknowledgment where one is requested or legally required.

11. Contact and Privacy Concerns

For questions or requests about privacy, use the support or reporting tools made available by BSMS Web. Do not include passwords, authentication tokens, or other account secrets in a request. The available contact methods and the information requested may depend on the tools currently offered by the service.

This document describes intended practices and is not legal advice. The operator should review it against the actual deployed code, providers, retention practices, and legal obligations before relying on it as a final legal policy.