Privacy Policy

Qubits provides courses through the Qubits Site care about the confidentiality and security of your information. This Privacy Policy applies to information that Qubits collects through the Qubits Site when you interact with Qubits, with other users, and generally with the Qubits Site.

Your information is received and controlled by Qubits according to this Privacy Policy when you sign up for an Qubits account or otherwise use the Qubits Site.

If you do not accept the terms of this Privacy Policy, then please do not access, browse, or register for the Qubits Site or enroll in any courses. If you choose not to provide certain information required to provide you with various products and services offered on the Qubits Site, then you may not be able to establish a user account or obtain those products or services.

INFORMATION THAT Qubits COLLECTS FROM YOU (INCLUDING PERSONAL INFORMATION)

Qubits directly collects information when you:

• sign up for a Qubits user account and create a Qubits user profile.
• enroll and participate in online courses.
• purchase a product or service.
• send email messages to Qubits (including messages to learner support);
• participate in user surveys; and
• participate in public forums, webinars, and other interactive experiences on the Qubits Site.

Qubits also indirectly collects usage information about your visit to the Qubits Site, as explained in the section below titled Cookies and Tracking Technologies.

Qubits does not itself collect or store financial account numbers or identification issued by a governmental entity, employer, or other authority. Instead, if you choose to make a purchase on the Qubits Site, you will be directed to Qubits’s third-party payment processor and Qubits’s third-party ID verification service provider. If you do not wish to submit the required authentication or payment information, then you will not be able to obtain a certificate via the Qubits Site.

Qubits requires your Personal Information only in limited circumstances when you:

• sign up for a Qubits user account.
• purchase a Verified Certificate (so that Qubits’s third-party vendor can authenticate your identity) or other product or service (so that Qubits’s third-party vendor can process the payment).
• participate in remote proctoring or other course facilitation processes (so that Qubits’s third-party vendor can monitor and assess the integrity of your course activity); or
• earn a Verified Certificate (the certificate will have your name on it).

To the extent that Qubits associates the information that Qubits collects directly or indirectly with an individual (for example, you), the association is based on Personal Information in your account profile.

You may voluntarily choose to share additional Personal Information on the Qubits Site, for example:

• in your Qubits account profile (and you may display a limited or full profile to other Qubits Site users);
• in applying for financial assistance; or
• when participating in a course, forum, webinar, or other interactive experience on the Qubits Site (noting that in some cases, this information is shared with a third party that provides tools or other assistance for the Qubits Site or a course).

Qubits encourages you to use discretion before voluntarily sharing additional Personal Information on the Qubits Site. (If you later choose to delete your Qubits account, deletion of your Personal Information will be subject to the process and limits outlined below.)

COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES ON THE Qubits SITE

Like many companies, Qubits uses Cookies and other common Tracking Technologies on the Qubits Site and in email communications to help Qubits better understand your use and needs of the Qubits Site, current and future Qubits-related products and services, and how Qubits and Members can improve. For example:

• based on your cookie settings, Qubits tracks information indicating, among other things, which pages of the Qubits Site were visited, the order in which they were visited, when they were visited, and which hyperlinks and other user interface controls were used;
• Qubits may log the IP address, operating system, and browser software (including mobile use and device type when you use Qubits native mobile apps) you used when accessing the Qubits Site, and Qubits may be able to determine from an IP address your Internet Service Provider and the geographic location of your point of connectivity; and
• Qubits may track and collect information from emails that Qubits sends to you, for example whether you opened the email or clicked on any links from the email.

Qubits also partners with third parties to help us track and understand your activity on the Qubits Site, how you interact with Qubits’s social media, and how you find or may be referred to the Qubits Site

You have some options for managing Cookies and other Tracking Technologies. These include:

• Modifying your browser settings: You should be able to control how and whether your web browser accepts Cookies by adjusting its privacy and security settings. The “help” feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new Cookies, how to receive notification of new Cookies, and how to disable existing Cookies. If you reject Qubits’s Cookies, many functions and conveniences of the Qubits Site may not work properly.
• Opting-out of certain third-party tracking and advertising: Some of the third parties used by Qubits for Cookies and Tracking Technologies offer the ability to opt-out from their tracking by following processes described on their websites. Qubits is not responsible for the effectiveness of any third-party opt-out options.

HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS USED

Qubits use information, including Personal Information, to carry out the following purposes:

• Operate and improve the Qubits Site – This includes creating and improving features that support the Qubits community and enable Qubits Site usage at scale. This also includes personalizing the Qubits Site, so your learning experience is tailored to your interests and needs.
• Create, administer, provide, and teach courses – This includes creating and improving the delivery of massive open online courses and programs on Qubits. This also includes personalizing courses, so your learning experience is tailored to your interests and needs and assessing your performance and awarding certificates.
• Offer and improve products and services – This includes enabling you to navigate the Qubits Site, to enroll and participate in courses and programs on the Qubits Site, to learn effectively in such courses and programs, and to purchase or obtain products and services on the Qubits Site such as Verified Certificates.
• Develop and maintain the security and performance of the Qubits Site – This includes tracking Qubits Site outages and creating software solutions, detecting violations of the Honor Code and Terms of Service, and monitoring uses, misuses, and potential misuses of the Qubits Site.
• Communicate with you – This includes answering your course and platform questions, notifying you of course and Qubits Site maintenance and updates, marketing to you about course offerings, programs, news, and related products and services of Qubits or Qubits affiliates, and as permitted under applicable law, sending you communications about products or services of selected business partners that may be of interest to you.
• Support scientific research including, for example, in the areas of cognitive science and education – This includes collaborating to enable and conduct research about how learners access and master course materials online, with the goal of improving course outcomes.
• Track Qubits Site usage against goals and mission – This includes performing analytics to evaluate access to and performance in courses and course-related products and services and to report aggregate usage information (not Personal Information) to business partners and external audiences.
• Exercise, enforce, and comply with legal rights and obligations – This includes responding to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process; and investigating, preventing, or taking action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, security or technical issues, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Qubits, or others, and as otherwise required by applicable law.

Qubits may also seek your consent for additional uses of information, including Personal Information, and will use it only for the purpose described to you. All use of Personal Information is subject to applicable law.

HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS SHARED

Qubits share information, including Personal Information, with third parties for the following purposes:

With service providers, contractors, and other third parties that help carry out the uses described above – Qubits requires third parties to: (1) abide by this Privacy Policy and applicable law; (2) handle Personal Information in a confidential manner and maintain adequate security; and (3) use Personal Information only as needed to fulfill the relevant purpose(s). In some cases, the Qubits Site and individual courses are integrated with third-party services or contain links to websites published by third parties, including other content providers as well as service providers. These third parties are responsible for their own privacy practices, so you should pay attention anytime you are redirected to a third-party website and be sure to review its privacy policy.

• With other learners in courses that you take and with other visitors to the Qubits Site, to create an interactive learning environment, support class participation, and share course information – This includes sharing comments, coursework, or other information or content that you submit to a portion of the Qubits Site designed for viewing by other class members or for public communication. This also includes providing opportunities for you to communicate with other users who may have similar interests or educational goals, for instance, recommending specific study partners or connecting potential student mentees and mentors. In such cases, Qubits and each Member that offers a course in which you enrolled may use all information collected about you to determine who might be interested in communicating with you, but will only provide others your username (for clarity, no disclosure of your real name or email address).
• With employers, government programs, institutions, or other enterprises that sponsor your enrollment in a course for training or other educational purposes – If an entity pays for or otherwise sponsors your Verified Certificate or course participation, Qubits will share information with the entity as needed to confirm your enrollment, participation, progress, and completion status in that course.

Qubits may also seek your consent for additional disclosures of information, including Personal Information, and will share it only as described to you. In addition, Qubits or a Member may share with the public and with third parties, including but not limited to researchers and business partners, information and Personal Information that is de-identified or aggregated in a manner that does not personally identify you.

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

You can manage your Personal Information through learner features on the Qubits Site and requests to the Qubits learner support team. Qubits will provide support to the extent required by applicable law and more broadly when possible, as a courtesy in our sole discretion. Qubits will notify you in the event that Qubits is unable to meet a request that is not legally required. Similarly, Members will only be obligated to comply with requests to the extent legally required but may choose to comply with other requests at their sole discretion.

Access and correct your Personal Information

Much of your Personal Information is available in your Qubits account. Your name, email address, and other identifiable profile information are editable through the profile settings in your Qubits account except as noted below. Your account dashboard lists all current and archived courses in which you have enrolled and includes links to any Verified Certificates you may have earned. The dashboard also contains copies of your answers and other participation and performance in courses. Please contact Qubits learner support to access and update this or other information. If your request involves information controlled by a Member, Qubits learner support will notify the appropriate Member of your request.

Exceptions:

• Qubits does not track or index every time or every place on the Qubits Site when or where a learner may volunteer Personal Information, so Qubits will not be able to help you locate or manage all such instances. Qubits encourages you to use discretion before volunteering Personal Information on the Qubits Site.

Delete account and Personal Information

To request deletion of your Qubits account and Personal Information, you should click the button labeled “Delete my account” in your Qubits account settings. Because deletion on the Qubits system is a permanent action and cannot be reversed, Qubits may ask you to complete a process that aims to confirm your authority to manage the Qubits account affected by your request.

With respect to your Qubits account, Qubits will permanently:

• deactivate your Qubits account,
• remove the active profile,
• retire your username, and
• remove you from Qubits email lists.

With respect to your Personal Information, Qubits will permanently delete your Qubits account profile Personal Information from the Qubits Site.

As noted above, to the extent that Qubits associates the information that Qubits collects directly or indirectly with an individual (for example, you), the association is based on Personal Information in your Qubits account profile. By erasing the Personal Information in your Qubits account profile, the remaining information about your activity on the Qubits Site will no longer be associated with you, except as noted below.

These changes will be applied to data stores that are used for the operation of the Qubits Site including course administration by Members. If you enrolled in any courses on the Qubits Site, the Qubits learner support team will share your request with the Members that offered those courses.

Exceptions:

• Deletion will not apply to historical activity logs or archives unless and until these logs and data naturally “age-off” the Qubits system.
• Qubits does not track or index every time or every place on the Qubits Site when or where a learner may volunteer Personal Information, so neither Qubits nor Members will be able to help you locate or manage all such instances. Qubits encourages you to use discretion before voluntarily sharing your Personal Information on the Qubits Site.
• Qubits will archive course data (in a manner and to the extent permitted under applicable law) to serve its mission to enable scientific research on cognitive science and education. These archives are used to produce encrypted research data packages for Members, and Personal Information may not be deleted from research data packages retained by Members.
• Qubits and each applicable Member cannot always delete records of past interactions and transactions. For example, records relating to previous purchases on the Qubits Site must be retained for financial reporting, audit, and compliance reasons.
• Qubits and each Member will retain and use Personal Information as necessary to comply with its legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce its agreements, and as otherwise permitted by applicable law.

Data retention

Qubits will retain your Personal Information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with services; to maintain a record of your transactions for financial reporting, audit, and compliance purposes; and to comply with Qubits’s legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce its agreements, and as otherwise permitted by applicable law. Upon your request that Qubits deactivate your account and delete your information, Qubits will follow the process described above, including without limitation archiving your course data (in a manner and to the extent permitted under applicable law) to serve its mission to enable scientific research on cognitive science and education.

STORAGE & SECURITY

Qubits stores information, including Personal Information, on its own servers and also on servers of companies that Qubits hires to provide services. In each case, information may be stored in India and in other countries where Qubits operates.

Qubits controls its own copy of information collected through the Qubits Site and has an information security designed program to protect information in its possession or control. This is done through a variety of privacy and security policies, processes, and procedures. Qubits uses administrative, physical, and technical safeguards that reasonably and appropriately protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information that it collects, receives, stores, or transmits. Nonetheless, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure; and therefore, Qubits cannot guarantee its absolute security. While Qubits works hard to ensure the integrity and security of its network and systems, Qubits cannot guarantee that its security measures will prevent “hackers” or other unauthorized persons from illegally accessing or obtaining information.

If Qubits learns of a security breach involving its copy of your Personal Information, Qubits may attempt to notify you electronically so that you may take appropriate protective steps. By using the Qubits Site or providing Personal Information to Qubits, you agree that Qubits can communicate with you electronically regarding security, privacy, and administrative issues relating to your use of the Qubits Site. If a security systems breach occurs, Qubits may post a notice on the Qubits homepage or elsewhere on the Qubits Site and may send an email to you at the email address associated with your Qubits account. Depending on where you are located, you may have a legal right to receive notice of a security breach, involving your Personal Information, in writing.

Depending on where you are located, you may have a legal right to receive notice of a security breach, involving your Personal Information, in writing.

PRIVACY POLICY UPDATES

This Privacy Policy will be reviewed and updated from time to time. When changes are made, the Privacy Policy will be labeled as “Revised (date),” indicating that you should review the new terms, which will be effective immediately upon posting on this page, with an updated effective date. By accessing the Qubits Site after any changes have been made, you accept the modified Privacy Policy and any changes contained therein. In case you miss the notification referenced above, be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of this Privacy Policy.

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have privacy concerns, have disclosed data you would prefer to keep private, or would like to access the Personal Information that Qubits maintains about you, please contact us at connect@qubitscs.com

GLOSSARY

Cookies are unique identifiers usually in the form of small data files placed on your device that send certain information about your activity on the Qubits Site or in an email communication back to Qubits or the authorized third party that served the cookie. Qubits or third parties may also use Flash cookies.

Qubits Site consists of all content and pages located within the Qubitscs.com web domain and all Qubits mobile applications.

Personal Information is information that specifically identifies you or that, when combined with other information, could be used to identify you.

Tracking Technologies are web beacons, clear gifs, pixels, and similar technologies that are also unique identifiers used to track your online activity but are not stored on your device.

Verified Certificate is a virtual certificate that shows that you have successfully completed your Qubits course or program and verified your identity using your webcam and your acceptable form of photo ID.