GoAcorn, LLC (“goAcorn,” “we,” or “us”) is committed to respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes what information we collect through goAcorn.co (the “website”) and our services, and how we use it. This policy applies to the website and any products or services we offer that link to it. “You” refers to anyone who visits, uses, or submits information through the website.

By using this website, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT AND HOW IT IS USED

When you access the goAcorn website or submit an intake form, you may provide personally identifiable information including your name, email address, and payment information (“personal information”). This information is collected when you complete an intake form, place an order, subscribe to our email list, or contact us directly.

Payment is processed directly by Stripe; goAcorn does not store your card information.

We use your personal information to:

• Provide our services and deliver your report
• Process your purchase and payment
• Communicate with you about your order or your inquiry
• Send you email updates and newsletters, if you’ve opted in
• Protect our website and services from misuse or fraud

We do not sell your personal information to third parties, and we never have.

How We Process Academic and Career Data

Personal information is separated from your academic and career responses prior to any AI-assisted research or drafting. Reports are researched and drafted using only de-identified data. Your name is reattached only at final delivery, when your completed report is prepared and sent to you.

De-identified academic and career data (major, specialization, academic background, stated interests) may be retained in an internal reference library to improve the speed and quality of future reports. This retained data cannot be traced back to you.

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate goAcorn: JotForm (intake collection and order confirmation), Stripe (payment processing), Anthropic’s Claude (AI-assisted research and drafting), Brevo (contact form email delivery), and MailerLite (email list and content delivery). Each operates under its own privacy and data-handling terms. We do not sell your personal information or share it with third parties for advertising purposes.

CATEGORIES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION COLLECTED

We collect the following categories of personal information:

• Identifiers — name, email address
• Commercial information — records of products or services purchased
• Education information — academic background, coursework, grades, test scores, and related information you provide through our intake forms, used to generate your report
• Inferences — interests, preferences, and characteristics drawn from your intake responses, used for major and specialization matching

We do not collect protected classification characteristics, geolocation data, biometric information, professional/employment history, or sensitive personal information such as government ID or Social Security numbers.

SITE ANALYTICS

This website uses Jetpack Stats (by Automattic) to collect information about visitors, including IP address, browser and device information, pages visited, referring sites, and general traffic patterns. Jetpack Stats does not set tracking cookies on visitor browsers; visitor data is anonymized and not linked to any individual identity. This information is used to understand site usage and improve the website. See Automattic’s Privacy Policy at automattic.com/privacy for more information.

USE OF COOKIES

This website uses a limited number of cookies necessary for its core functionality, including cookies set by Stripe during payment processing to enable secure checkout. Jetpack Stats does not set cookies on visitor browsers (see Site Analytics section above). We do not use cookies for advertising, affiliate marketing, or interest-based targeting.

If you have an account and log in to this website, we set a temporary session cookie to keep you logged in during your visit. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

You can disable cookies through your browser settings. Doing so may affect your ability to complete a purchase, as Stripe’s checkout requires cookies to function securely.

DO NOT TRACK SIGNALS

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” setting that signals your preference not to be tracked across websites. Because we do not use targeted advertising or behavioral tracking, this website does not currently respond differently to Do Not Track signals. Our data collection is limited to what’s described in this policy (Jetpack Stats analytics and cookies necessary for checkout).

SOCIAL MEDIA SHARING

This website includes social media sharing buttons (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) that allow you to share content from goAcorn. If you use these buttons, the relevant social media platform may collect information about that interaction according to its own privacy policy. We do not maintain active social media accounts and do not collect or store any information through these sharing buttons ourselves.

THIRD-PARTY LINKS

This website may include links to third-party websites or services, including Stripe, JotForm, and social media platforms. Once you leave goAcorn.co through one of these links, this Privacy Policy no longer applies. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit. We are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or data handling of third-party websites.

DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION

As a general rule, we do not disclose your personal information to third parties without your consent, with the following exceptions:

1. We share information with the service providers named in this policy (JotForm, Stripe, Anthropic’s Claude, Brevo, MailerLite, and our website hosting provider) as necessary to operate goAcorn and deliver your report.
2. We may disclose information to contractors who support our business operations. These parties may use your data only to perform the services we’ve requested and are bound by confidentiality obligations.
3. We may disclose information to comply with applicable state or federal law, legal process, or government request.
4. We may disclose information to enforce our Terms and Conditions, Refund Policy, or billing and collection matters.
5. In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of goAcorn, your personal information may be transferred to the acquiring party, who will be bound by this Privacy Policy or a materially similar one.

EMAIL MARKETING

You may opt in to receive our email newsletter, updates, and promotional content by submitting your email through a signup form on our website. We do not automatically add you to our email list when you make a purchase — you must separately opt in.

When you contact us directly, your email and message are retained for the purpose of responding to you. We do not sell, share, or trade your email information with third parties except as described in this Privacy Policy.

You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email we send, or by contacting us directly.

OPT-OUT

We comply with the CAN-SPAM Act and do not send misleading or deceptive communications. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” at the bottom of any email we send, or by contacting us directly.

For communications from third-party services linked on our website, please contact them directly to opt out.

YOUR DATA RIGHTS

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information by contacting us directly. We will respond to verified requests within a reasonable timeframe. Please note that de-identified data retained in our internal research library cannot be linked back to you and is not subject to individual deletion requests.

CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

goAcorn’s services are designed for high school and college students, and are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If a parent or guardian believes their child under 13 has submitted personal information to us, please contact us to have that information deleted.

For students under 18 using our services, we rely on a parent or guardian to review, consent to, and typically purchase our services on the student’s behalf.

DATA RETENTION

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy — including delivering your report, maintaining records of your purchase, and responding to your inquiries — or as required by law (for example, financial records retained for tax purposes). When information is no longer needed for these purposes, we delete it or, where applicable, de-identify it as described above.

SECURITY

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information, consistent with generally accepted industry practices. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Payment information is processed directly by Stripe during checkout and is not stored on goAcorn’s systems.

If you have concerns about the security of your information, please contact us directly.

PRIVACY POLICY UPDATES

This Privacy Policy is effective as of [DATE OF PUBLISH] and may be updated from time to time. We encourage you to review this page periodically for changes. Any modifications will take effect upon posting. Your continued use of goAcorn after an update constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.

CONTACT

For any questions or comments regarding the privacy policy, please contact us at hi@goacorn.co