This Privacy Policy applies to OceanBrowser Limited's (we, us, our) OB3 website and platform (the Platform) and should be read in conjunction with the Platform's Terms of Service.
By viewing and using this Platform you will be deemed to agree to this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, please stop using the Platform and contact us (see section "Contact Us" below) so we can discuss your concerns.
All capitalised terms that are used but not defined in this Privacy Policy will have the meaning given to them in the Terms of Service.
OceanBrowser Limited is a company registered in New Zealand (company number 9429035526476).
Our contact details:
We are the data controller for the personal data we process through the Platform. This means we determine how and why your personal data is processed.
UK/EU Data Protection: New Zealand has been recognized by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means data can flow freely between the UK/EU and New Zealand.
We collect and process the following types of personal data:
When you create an account or use the Platform, you provide us with:
User Content: Content you create or upload to the Platform (coursework, documents, comments, discussions, uploaded files) is not regarded as personal information for the purposes of this policy, but is governed by the User Content provisions in our Terms of Service.
When you use the Platform, our systems automatically collect:
When you create an account, you are assigned a unique identifier called an OB3 ID (a UUID). This OB3 ID is used to identify your work within the Platform and is particularly important if you choose to close your account (see Section 8).
We process your personal data under the following legal bases:
Processing is necessary to provide the Platform services to you under our Terms of Service. This includes:
We have legitimate interests in:
Where required, we obtain your explicit consent for:
We may process your data to comply with legal obligations, such as:
We process and use your information for the following purposes:
If you are a student (Learner), we process your information to:
We have the ability to access your account for certain purposes, including:
This privileged access is restricted to authorized staff at OceanBrowser, and such access is logged. If you do not want OceanBrowser support staff to access your account under any circumstances, please email the Privacy Officer and you will be added to the support access opt-out list.
If you are a student (Learner), we may share your information with:
We share personal data with third-party service providers who help us operate the Platform:
We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law or in response to:
If we are involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or bankruptcy, your personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change and the choices you may have.
We may share your personal data with other third parties when we have your explicit consent to do so.
Your personal data is processed and stored in the following locations:
All of these locations are within the UK and European Union, providing a high level of data protection.
OceanBrowser Limited is based in New Zealand, and our support and technical teams may access your data for operational purposes (such as providing support, maintaining the Platform, and investigating issues).
Transfer Safeguard: New Zealand has been granted an adequacy decision by the European Commission, meaning data transfers between the UK/EU and New Zealand are permitted as New Zealand is recognized as providing an adequate level of data protection.
When you contact customer support, your support conversations are processed by Intercom Inc. in the United States. This transfer is protected by:
Important: Only support conversation data is transferred to Intercom. Your coursework, assessments, grades, and academic records remain in the UK/EU and are never shared with Intercom.
We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active and you continue to use the Platform.
For students using OB3 as part of their studies:
If you are enrolled in a formal course of study, your course data may be retained for a period of years to comply with assessment and academic integrity requirements. This retention is necessary to support:
This means that even if you close your account (see Section 8), your academic records (coursework submissions, assessments, grades, feedback, and course activity) will be retained for the period required by your educational institution.
If you are granted alumni access after completing a course, we will retain your data to provide ongoing access to course materials, subject to the provisions in our Terms of Service.
When you close your account (see Section 8):
We may continue to retain your personal information within Platform backups, logs, and secure record-keeping systems for:
Backups and logs are retained for limited periods and are securely destroyed when no longer needed. In the event of backup restoration, deleted personal information will be removed from the restored data.
We may retain data for longer periods if required by law, to resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, or protect our legal rights.
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
How to exercise this right:
The export will include:
To export or print your document content, open any document and click the "Viewer" button (top right). In the Viewer you can select and copy text, or print your document.
Response time: We will provide your data within 30 days of your request.
Download access: You will receive an email with a secure download link, valid for 14 days.
You have the right to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
How to exercise this right:
You have the right to request deletion of your personal data, subject to certain exceptions.
Important for students: Due to educational compliance requirements, there are limitations on what can be deleted:
What WILL be deleted when you close your account:
What WILL be retained:
If you are a student using OB3 within a course of study, contributions you have made within your coursework will be retained.
Why academic records are retained: If you are enrolled in a formal course of study, your course data may be retained for a period of years to comply with assessment and academic integrity requirements. This is required for academic appeals, accreditation, degree verification, and compliance with UK/EU education regulations.
Your OB3 ID: After account closure, your retained academic records will be identified by your OB3 ID (a unique identifier) rather than your personal information.
How to exercise this right:
Response time: We will process your request within 30 days and send confirmation to your email address, including your OB3 ID for future reference.
Recommendation: Please download your data before closing your account, as you will no longer have access after closure.
You have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and to transfer it to another service.
The data export described in Section 8.1 (Right of Access) fulfills this right. You will receive your data in formats that can be viewed and used.
You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests.
How to exercise this right: Email privacy.officer@oceanbrowser.com with details of your objection.
We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or the processing is necessary for legal claims.
You have the right to request that we restrict processing of your personal data in certain circumstances (for example, while we verify the accuracy of data you've disputed).
How to exercise this right: Email privacy.officer@oceanbrowser.com
Where we process your data based on consent (such as for marketing communications), you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
How to exercise this right:
Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
If you believe we have not handled your personal data properly, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.
UK: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) - https://ico.org.uk
EU: Your local data protection authority - https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/board/members_en
We encourage you to contact us first at privacy.officer@oceanbrowser.com so we can try to resolve your concern.
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.
You are responsible for:
In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will:
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit the Platform. They help us provide and improve the Platform.
Essential Cookies (Strictly Necessary):
These cookies are necessary for the Platform to function and cannot be disabled.
Analytics Cookies:
Functionality Cookies:
When you embed content from third-party providers (such as YouTube videos) by pasting URLs into the Platform, the embedded content may set cookies governed by that provider's privacy policy.
Avoiding third-party cookies: You can upload content directly to the Platform instead of embedding from third parties.
Cookie Consent:
When you first visit the Platform, you will see a cookie consent notice. You can choose to:
Your consent choices will be stored and you can change them at any time through the cookie settings link in the footer of the Platform.
Browser Controls:
You can also control cookies through your browser settings:
Contact us for specific advice on enabling OB3 cookies while disabling third-party cookies.
Some browsers have "Do Not Track" features. We do not currently respond to Do Not Track signals, but we respect your privacy choices through the cookie controls described above.
The Platform is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13.
If you are under 13, please do not use the Platform or provide any personal information.
If we learn that we have collected personal data from a child under 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at privacy.officer@oceanbrowser.com.
Note for educational institutions: If your institution enrolls students under 13 in courses using OB3, the institution is responsible for obtaining appropriate parental consent and ensuring compliance with applicable laws (such as COPPA in the US or local equivalents).
The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, applications, and embedded content (such as videos, images, or interactive tools).
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. When you click on a link or interact with embedded content, you may be subject to that third party's privacy policy.
We recommend reviewing the privacy policies of any third-party services you access through the Platform.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons.
When we make changes to this Privacy Policy, we will:
Your continued use of the Platform after we post changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the changes, please stop using the Platform and contact us to close your account.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact:
Privacy Officer
OceanBrowser Limited
Email: privacy.officer@oceanbrowser.com
Address: 44 Melville Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
Website: https://www.ob3.io
Response time: We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days.
For data subject rights requests (access, erasure, etc.), please see Section 8 for specific instructions.
OceanBrowser Limited (New Zealand company number 9429035526476) is the data controller responsible for your personal data.
This Privacy Policy complies with:
New Zealand has received adequacy decisions from both the European Commission and the UK, recognizing New Zealand's data protection laws as providing an adequate level of protection for personal data.
As we are based outside the UK/EU, we may be required to appoint a representative in the UK/EU. If appointed, contact details will be provided here.