Privacy Policy

1. Overview

way2wise.ai LLC ("way2wise," "we," "us") builds AI-assisted learning tools. Our first product, the EQ Agent, guides software engineers through short weekly reflections designed to develop emotional self-awareness and self-regulation.

Because that product invites people to write candidly about their working lives, we treat reflective content as sensitive by default. This policy explains what we collect, what we do with it, and — just as importantly — what we do not do with it.

2. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Contact information — name, email address, and organization when you contact us, request a pilot, or subscribe to our newsletter.
• Account information — to use the EQ Agent you create an account through Firebase Authentication, using either an email address and password or Google sign-in. We receive your email address and, if you use Google sign-in, the basic profile information Google provides (such as your name). We do not receive your Google password.
• Reflective content — the written responses you provide to the EQ Agent's prompts. See Section 3.

Information collected automatically

• Usage data — pages visited, features used, and session timing, to understand how the product is used and to improve it.
• Device and log data — IP address, browser type, and operating system, collected in ordinary server logs.
• Cookies and similar technologies — we use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website. Google Analytics sets cookies that collect standard usage and device information; you can opt out using Google's browser add-on, and where required by law we will request your consent before setting non-essential cookies. We also use essential cookies needed for the service to function, such as keeping you signed in.

3. Reflective data and the EQ Agent

This is the most sensitive information we handle, and it carries the strongest commitments.

• Your reflections belong to you. The content of an individual's reflections is not shared with their employer, university, instructor, or manager.
• We minimize personal information. The EQ Agent is designed so that directly identifying information is not required in order to reflect. We ask that you avoid including names of colleagues, clients, or other third parties in your entries, and we design prompts to focus on your own experience rather than identifying details about others.
• Insights are personal. The patterns the agent surfaces about self-awareness and self-regulation are returned to you, not to a third party.

4. How we use information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide, operate, and improve the EQ Agent and related learning tools
• Generate the personalized reflections and insights you request
• Respond to your inquiries and administer pilot programs
• Send newsletters and product updates you have subscribed to
• Maintain security, prevent abuse, and meet legal obligations
• Conduct research, only under the conditions described in Section 11

We do not sell personal information. We do not use your reflective content for advertising.

Training AI models

We use reflective content to train or fine-tune AI models only if you give explicit, opt-in consent. By default, your reflections are not used for model training. You may grant or withdraw this consent at any time, and declining has no effect on your access to the product or the quality of the experience. Where content is used for training under consent, it is de-identified first.

5. AI processing and third-party models

The EQ Agent uses artificial intelligence to interpret reflective language and generate responses. Depending on configuration, this processing may involve third-party model providers.

The EQ Agent processes reflective language using Google Cloud's Vertex AI. Under Google Cloud's terms for Vertex AI, customer data sent to the service is not used to train Google's foundation models, and Google acts as a data processor on our behalf. You can review Google Cloud's data-processing terms at cloud.google.com/terms/data-processing-addendum. If we add or change AI providers, we will update this policy.

Every output the agent produces can be traced and audited internally, so that any insight returned to a person can be accounted for.

6. Sharing and disclosure

We share information only in these circumstances:

• Service providers — the vendors that run our infrastructure and features, bound by contract to protect the information. These currently include Vercel (hosting), Firebase (authentication), Neon (database), Google Cloud Vertex AI (AI processing), Google Analytics (website analytics), and Netlify (website forms).
• Legal requirements — when required by law, subpoena, or to protect the rights and safety of people.
• Business transfers — if way2wise is acquired or merged, information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.
• With your consent — in any other case, only when you direct us to.

7. Employers, universities, and program administrators

When an organization sponsors a cohort, that organization is our customer, but the participating individual is the one whose reflections we protect.

• Organizations receive program-level information — aggregate participation, engagement, and completion signals.
• Organizations do not receive individual reflection content, individual insights, or any report that identifies what a specific person wrote.
• We do not provide an organization with aggregate reporting for any cohort smaller than ten participants, so that individuals cannot be identified from the aggregate. Where a group falls below that threshold, we suppress or further combine the reporting.

8. Data retention

We retain information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy.

In practice: we retain your reflective content and account information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete your reflective content and personal account information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain limited records to meet legal obligations. Where a program is sponsored by an organization, we retain individual reflections for the duration of the program and for up to 90 days afterward, unless you delete your account sooner. De-identified data — which can no longer be linked to you — may be retained for research and to improve the product. [Confirm these periods match your actual operations before publishing.]

9. Security

We protect information using administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Access limited to the minimum necessary, on a least-privilege basis
• Auditable records of how AI outputs were produced
• Regular review of access and security practices

No system is perfectly secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and we encourage you to use a strong, unique password and to avoid including third parties' identifying details in your reflections.

10. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Correct information that is inaccurate
• Delete your information
• Object to or restrict certain processing
• Receive a portable copy of your information
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Withdraw permission to use your reflections for model training, at any time

California residents. Under the CCPA/CPRA, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, to delete it, to correct it, and to opt out of its sale or sharing. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined. You will not be discriminated against for exercising these rights.

EU/EEA and UK residents. Where the GDPR applies, our legal bases for processing are consent, the performance of a contract, and our legitimate interests in operating and improving the product. You may lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. We do not currently target the product at the EU or UK; if you are located there and use the service, your information will be processed in the United States under appropriate safeguards, and we will honor the rights described above.

To exercise any right, contact us at patrick@way2wise.ai. We will respond within the period required by applicable law.

11. Research participation

The EQ Agent originated as graduate research at Pepperdine University, conducted under that institution's research-ethics review with informed consent and anonymization.

We may continue to conduct research with partners. Where we do:

• Participation is voluntary and based on separate, informed consent
• Research data is anonymized or de-identified before analysis
• You may decline to participate without losing access to the product
• Studies involving universities are subject to that institution's ethics review

Ordinary use of the product does not enroll you in a research study.

12. Children's privacy

The EQ Agent is intended for adults and for university-level students. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

If we work with a university whose participating students are under 18, we handle that program in line with the additional protections that apply to student educational records, and we look to the institution as the party responsible for obtaining any required parental consent.

13. International users

way2wise.ai is operated from the United States. If you access the service from outside the U.S., your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where privacy laws may differ from those in your country. If we later serve EU or UK users directly, we will put an appropriate transfer mechanism in place, such as the Standard Contractual Clauses.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the product evolves. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, notify you directly. Continued use of the service after a change indicates acceptance of the revised policy.

15. Contact us

Questions about this policy, or about how your information is handled, can be sent to:

way2wise.ai LLC
116 Meadow Rd
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
patrick@way2wise.ai

You can also reach us through our contact page.