Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

RoboSTEM Foundation Inc. operates this store and is responsible for the personal information collected through it.

You may contact us using the following information:

RoboSTEM Foundation Inc.
Email: contact@robostem.org
Phone: (408) 303-6928
Mailing address: P.O. Box #2251, Saratoga, CA 95070

2. Information we collect

We collect information necessary to operate our store, process orders, and provide customer services.

Order information

When you place an order, we collect your name, email address, telephone number, shipping and billing addresses, and purchased items. For event pickup orders, we also collect your selected event and any team number you choose to provide.

Account information

If you create an account, we collect your name, email address, securely hashed password, and product email preferences. You may also provide a telephone number, save addresses, and register for stock notifications.

If you add a passkey, we store its public key, its name, and an identifier for the device or password manager that created it. The private key stays on your device.

If you sign in using a third-party authentication provider, we receive your name, email address, profile photo URL, and account identifier from that provider.

Email subscriptions

If you request a notification when a pre-order product becomes available, we collect your email address and the product associated with your request.

Payment information

Payments are handled by Stripe. Payment card numbers are submitted directly to Stripe and are not received or stored by RoboSTEM.

Technical information

We collect limited technical information, including IP addresses, browser types, referral codes, and session information. This information may appear in server logs, security and rate-limiting records, and authenticated session records.

We also use the cookies and browser storage described in Section 6.

3. How we use personal information

We use personal information to:

• Process payments, fulfill orders, and provide customer support.
• Create and maintain customer accounts.
• Send order confirmations, shipping updates, account notices, and requested product notifications.
• Calculate applicable sales taxes.
• Detect and prevent fraud, spam, unauthorized access, and other misuse.
• Attribute purchases to referral links.
• Maintain required business, tax, and accounting records.
• Comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell personal information, share it for targeted advertising, or create advertising profiles.

4. Email communications

We send the following types of emails.

Order and account communications

These include payment receipts from our payment provider, shipping and tracking updates from our shipping providers or carriers, email verification messages, password resets, and other necessary account notices.

These communications are required to operate the service and cannot be disabled.

Requested notifications

If you register for a stock alert or pre-order notification, we use your email address to send the requested notification. Each stock alert is sent once and includes a link to cancel the notification.

Product release emails

We send product release announcements only to customers who have opted in. These emails are limited to one per week and include an unsubscribe link.

You may also disable product release emails in your account settings.

5. Sharing information with third parties

We share personal information with service providers only as necessary for them to perform their functions.

Payment processing providers

Stripe processes payments, calculates sales tax, provides receipts, and performs fraud prevention checks. If you use an express checkout or installment payment service, the applicable payment provider also processes information under its own terms and privacy policies.

Authentication, address verification, and email providers

Third-party authentication services provide account sign-in when you choose to use them. Address suggestion services receive the information you enter into the address search field at checkout.

We also use third-party email services to receive and manage customer correspondence.

Website hosting and security providers

Our service providers supply website hosting, database services, storage for previously submitted artwork, email delivery services, and security features, including automated bot checks.

Shipping and fulfillment platforms

We use third-party shipping platforms to calculate shipping rates, purchase shipping labels, manage shipments, and provide tracking information. The platform used depends on the destination and requirements of your order.

Shipping carriers

We share the delivery information necessary for shipping carriers to transport orders and provide tracking updates.

The carrier used may vary by order, and we may substitute carriers as described in our Shipping Policy.

International shipments also require customs declarations identifying the contents and declared value of each parcel.

Internal communication services

Our team uses a third-party communication platform for internal order notifications. New-order notifications include the customer's name and purchased items. Notifications for pickup orders may also include the customer's email address and team number.

We may disclose personal information when required by law, when necessary to protect legal rights or personal safety, or in connection with a transfer of the store to another organization.

We do not provide personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

6. Cookies and browser storage

Our store does not use advertising or analytics cookies.

We use the following cookies and local browser storage for essential store functions.

• Authentication cookies: Maintain signed-in sessions for up to 30 days.
• Checkout cookies: Associate your browser with your checkout session to prevent unauthorized changes. These expire after 30 minutes.
• Referral cookies: Store a referral code for up to 30 days so purchases can be attributed to the appropriate referrer.
• Payment and security cookies: Support payment processing, fraud detection, and automated security checks.
• Local browser storage: Stores shopping cart contents, selected currency, and previous pre-order notification registrations.

Stripe may use fraud prevention technology that recognizes a device across websites using the same payment service.

Apart from this, we do not track your activity across unrelated websites, and no other third party collects information about your activity across other websites through our store.

Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

Because we do not sell personal information, share it for targeted advertising, or conduct cross-site tracking, Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals do not change how our store processes information.

7. International data processing

RoboSTEM operates from the United States, and our service providers store and process customer information in the United States.

If you access our store from Canada or another country, your information is transferred to and processed in the United States, where it may be subject to applicable U.S. laws and lawful government requests.

8. Data retention

We retain personal information for the following periods.

Order records

We retain purchase and transaction records for as long as required by applicable tax, accounting, and other legal obligations.

Customer accounts

Account information remains stored until you delete your account.

Account deletion removes your account, passkeys, saved addresses, telephone number, stock alerts, and active sign-in sessions. Completed orders remain in our transaction records where retention is necessary.

Previously uploaded artwork

We no longer offer custom products. Artwork submitted before those products were discontinued remains stored until it is deleted.

You may request deletion of previously uploaded artwork at any time.

Pre-order subscriptions

We retain pre-order notification registrations until you request removal.

Cookies

Cookies expire according to the periods specified in Section 6.

9. Information security

We use encrypted connections, securely hashed passwords, verified email addresses, and access controls to protect customer information.

Payment card information is handled by our payment provider, and access to store customer records is restricted to authorized personnel responsible for operating the store.

Although we take reasonable precautions, no online system can guarantee complete security. If a data breach affects your personal information, we will provide notifications as required by applicable law.

10. Your privacy rights

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information we maintain about you. You may also ask questions about how your information is collected or used.

Requests can be submitted to contact@robostem.org.

We may verify your identity using the email address associated with your account or order before processing a request.

We will respond within 30 days. Certain information, including completed transaction records, may need to be retained to satisfy legal obligations.

We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

Canadian customers may also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada regarding privacy concerns.

11. Children's privacy

Our store is intended for adults, including parents, coaches, and mentors, and for teenagers who have permission from a parent or legal guardian.

Our store is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under that age.

Children under 13

Children under 13 may not create accounts, subscribe to emails, or place orders. A parent or legal guardian must complete these activities using the adult's own information.

Teenagers aged 13 to 17

Customers aged 13 to 17 must have permission from a parent or legal guardian before creating an account or placing an order.

If we discover that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will promptly delete the information and cancel and refund any associated open orders. We will retain only the information necessary to complete that process.

Parental requests

If you believe your child has provided personal information to our store, contact us at contact@robostem.org, (408) 303-6928, or P.O. Box #2251, Saratoga, CA 95070.

Please provide your child's name and the email address used. After verifying your relationship as a parent or legal guardian, we will explain what information we hold, delete it, and stop further collection or use.

Individuals under 18 may also request deletion of information or artwork they previously submitted.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Changes will be published on this page, and the last updated date will reflect the current version.

Revisions take effect on the date indicated in the updated policy.

13. Contact information

For privacy questions or requests, contact:

RoboSTEM Foundation Inc.
Email: contact@robostem.org
Phone: (408) 303-6928
Mailing address: P.O. Box #2251, Saratoga, CA 95070

You may also review our Terms of Service.