Privacy Policy

Information you provide

We may receive information you voluntarily provide when you contact us, request support, join a program, subscribe to updates, participate in our community or communicate about a purchase or partnership. This may include your name, email address, phone number, organization, message and related correspondence.

Physical products are sold by third-party distributors. A seller or payment provider may separately collect shipping and payment information under its own privacy policy. MakerBuddy does not receive or store full payment-card details merely because you follow a link from this website.

Website and device information

Hosting, security or analytics services may process technical information such as IP address, browser, device type, operating system, referring page, requested pages and approximate visit timing. The exact data depends on the services enabled on the deployed website.

The reference MakerBuddy firmware and dashboard are designed for local-network operation:

• Sensor readings and actuator controls are processed on the ESP32 and local client.
• The dashboard can communicate directly with the board over local Wi-Fi.
• The standard device workflow does not require MakerBuddy to collect sensor readings or automation rules.
• Saved Wi-Fi details remain on the device in the reference firmware.

If you modify the open-source software, connect it to a cloud platform or install third-party integrations, those changes can create different data flows. You are responsible for reviewing and communicating the privacy impact of your implementation.

We may use information to:

• Respond to inquiries and provide support
• Coordinate school programs, workshops or partnerships
• Send requested updates and community information
• Maintain, secure and improve the website and resources
• Understand aggregate usage and diagnose technical problems
• Prevent abuse, fraud or security incidents
• Meet legal and administrative obligations

MakerBuddy may use or link to hosting, analytics, email, community, source-control, social media, payment and distributor services. Those organizations process information under their own policies. Examples include GitHub, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Hackster.io and authorized sellers.

Contributions, issues and discussions submitted to public repositories are visible under the identity you use on that platform. Do not include credentials, personal data or private network details in a public issue.

The deployed website may use essential cookies or local storage for functionality and may use analytics technologies if enabled. You can control many of these through browser settings. Blocking essential storage can affect site features.

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably needed for the purpose collected, legal obligations, dispute handling and security. We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards, but no internet transmission or storage system is completely secure.

Depending on applicable law, you may be entitled to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection or portability for personal information we control. You can also withdraw consent for optional communications. Contact info@makerbuddy.cc to make a request; we may need to verify your identity.

MakerBuddy learning products are designed for supervised educational use by learners ages 10 and above, but our website and direct online communications are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from a child under 13 without appropriate authorization. A parent, guardian or school that believes a child has provided personal information should contact us.

Service providers may process information in countries other than your own. Where required, we use appropriate contractual or legal safeguards for such transfers.

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our services, vendors or legal obligations. The updated date appears at the top of the page. Material changes will be communicated through an appropriate website notice when practical.

Questions or requests about this policy can be sent to info@makerbuddy.cc or through the contact page.