1. Data Sources & Collection
Where Does the Data Come From?
- Student-Initiated Upload (Extension): Students voluntarily use the PivoRate browser extension to capture course evaluations they already have authorized access to view.
- Community Contributions: Aggregated, anonymous metadata may be contributed to the public library to benefit other students.
✓ What We Do NOT Do: We do not crawl, scrape, or bypass any access controls. All data originates from students who already have legitimate access to view their evaluations.
What Data Do We Collect?
📊 Course Evaluations
- • Numerical ratings (course/instructor scores)
- • Student comments (stored privately)
- • Sample sizes
- • Course metadata (code, title, term, instructor)
👤 Account Information
- • Email address (for authentication)
- • Preference settings
📈 Usage Data
- • Courses added to your library
- • Feature usage patterns
- • Login timestamps
🔒 Technical Data
- • IP addresses (for security/logs)
- • Browser user agent
- • Error logs
What We Do NOT Collect
- ❌ Your grades or academic records
- ❌ Your student ID number
- ❌ Your browsing history on other websites
- ❌ Financial information
- ❌ Personal demographic data beyond email/school
2. How We Use Your Data
🔐 Raw Comments (Private)
- • Visibility: Only YOU can see your uploaded raw comments
- • Sharing: Never shared with other users
- • AI Processing: Used to generate AI summaries, but raw text is never displayed to others
- • Storage: Encrypted and access-controlled with Row Level Security (RLS)
✨ AI-Generated Summaries
- • Nature: Structured insights extracted from comments using AI
- • De-identification: Cannot be traced back to individual reviewers
- • Public scope: Public summaries are shown to all visitors
- • Private scope: Deeper AI insights appear only to the logged-in owner inside My Library; no cross-user visibility
- • Purpose: Help students understand course patterns and instructor styles
📊 Aggregate Statistics (Public)
- • Content: Rating averages, distributions, sample sizes
- • Anonymity: Completely anonymous, no individual attribution
- • Visibility: May be publicly displayed in the Public Library
3. Data Sharing & Third Parties
Who Can See Data?
| Viewer | Raw Evaluations (original site) | AI Summaries | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEU students (with their own access) | ✓ Original site (own credentials) | ✓ Deeper insights (My Library) | ✓ Public courses |
| Public visitors (no login) | ✗ Not provided | ○ Public summaries only | ✓ Public courses |
| PivoRate Team | ○ Maintenance only | ○ Maintenance only | ✓ Yes |
Our Commitments
- 🚫 We will NEVER sell your data
- 📊 We may share anonymized, aggregate statistics for academic research (opt-out available)
- 🏫 We will NOT proactively share individual data with schools or professors
- ⚖️ We may disclose data if legally required (subpoena, court order)
Service Providers
- • Supabase: Database, authentication, and Edge Functions
- • Vercel: Web application hosting
- • Third-party AI providers: AI analysis processing (data is de-identified before sending)
4. AI Processing & Accuracy
⚠️ Important Disclaimer
AI-generated summaries and insights are provided for informational purposes only and should not be the sole basis for academic decisions. Always verify information through official channels.
How AI Analysis Works
- Source Grounding: Our AI uses structured extraction techniques that ground responses in actual student feedback, reducing hallucinations.
- Interpretation Variance: AI may interpret sentiment or meaning differently than humans; some nuance may be lost or misrepresented.
- Historical Data: Analyses are based on past evaluations; professors and courses may change over time.
Accuracy Limitations
- • AI summaries may not capture every nuance from original reviews
- • Course content and instructor styles may have changed since reviews were written
- • Sample sizes affect reliability; smaller samples = less reliable insights
- • PivoRate is not responsible for academic decisions made based on AI insights
5. Your Rights & Controls
👁️ Right to Access
View all data PivoRate stores about you, including uploaded evaluations, AI summaries, and account information.
✏️ Right to Modify
Edit or remove evaluations you've uploaded. Regenerate AI analyses if needed.
🗑️ Right to Delete
Request complete deletion of your account and all associated data.
📤 Right to Export
Download your data in a portable format (JSON/CSV).
How to Exercise Your Rights
- Settings Page: Access /my/settings to manage preferences and download data.
- Account Deletion: Contact us at pivorate.project@gmail.com to request complete account deletion.
- Extension: Use the extension's Local Library to delete local captures anytime.
6. Relationship with Eval25 & Universities
📢 Official Statement
PivoRate is an independent student project. We have no official affiliation, partnership, or endorsement from Eval25, Northeastern University, or any other educational institution.
Our Data Sources:
- ✓ Students voluntarily upload evaluations they already have authorized access to view
- ✓ We do not "crack," "bypass," or circumvent any access controls
- ✓ Extension capture/login flows are intended for Northeastern students; non-NEU users are not provided access to source sites through PivoRate
- ✓ We respect all platform terms of service and university policies
Takedown Policy:
If Eval25, Northeastern University, or any authorized party requests removal of specific data, we will promptly comply. Contact us at pivorate.project@gmail.com.
7. Acceptable Use & Content Policy
Prohibited Activities
- 🚫 Harassment: Using PivoRate to target, harass, or defame specific professors or students
- 🚫 Manipulation: Creating fake reviews or attempting to artificially inflate/deflate ratings
- 🚫 Commercial Misuse: Reselling, redistributing, or commercializing PivoRate data
- 🚫 Automated Abuse: Using bots, scrapers, or automated tools to mass-query the platform
- 🚫 Impersonation: Pretending to be another student or creating multiple fake accounts
Enforcement
- • First violation: Warning and content removal
- • Repeated violations: Temporary account suspension
- • Severe violations: Permanent ban
- • Illegal activity: May be reported to appropriate authorities or university administration
8. Children's Privacy
PivoRate is designed for college students and is not intended for use by individuals under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware of such collection, we will promptly delete the data.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be announced via email or prominent notice on the platform. Continued use of PivoRate after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
10. Contact Us
For privacy questions, data requests, or concerns, please contact:
PivoRate Privacy Team
Email: pivorate.project@gmail.com